


4:30

by rleyjjx



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Boarding School, Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Bottom GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF), Boys in Skirts, First Kiss, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Internalized Homophobia, Jock Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), LGBTQ Character, M/M, Recreational Drug Use, Size Difference, Strangers to Friends To Lovers To Enemies To Lovers, Top Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), Underage Drinking, stoner!dream, stoner!sapnap
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-13 14:34:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 81,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28904952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rleyjjx/pseuds/rleyjjx
Summary: George is new at The Cortona School. Dream has been going there since he was a freshman.high school and stoner autw// drugs, alcohol, and smut (only explicit in chapter 14)
Relationships: Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF), Karl Jacobs/Sapnap
Comments: 217
Kudos: 757





	1. New

**Author's Note:**

> This is my very first fan fic ever. I try to update it every 4/5 days. I do like writing long chapters so sometimes it may take up to a week to update. Hope you enjoy :) 
> 
> Please understand that this is a WEEDfic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> George is new.  
> Dream is a tour guide at the school  
> They are awkward your honor.  
> Sapnap, Dream, Quackity, and Karl are stoners in this story your honor.  
> Dream and Sapnap call eachother Clay and Nick because they're THAT close :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW// Recreational Drug Use
> 
> I have a playlist for what i listened to while writing this chapter.
> 
> My Spotify is racheljacobs627 and the playlist is called chapter 1 :) I will most likely be doing this with all the chapters, it's likely there will be many repeats, but I also use music as a big inspirations for writing, so for different scenes I'm likely listening to the music that I would listen to if I was in that situation.

Chapter 1

Three loud knocks on Clay’s dorm room window wake him with a startle. Turning to pull open the shades, he’s blinded almost immediately by the Florida sunrise. His best friend, Nick, is lifting open the window, and consequently, letting in the humid air. As always, he starts immediately talking Clay’s ear off. 

“Clay, Clay, listen, it’s 6:15, breakfast in an hour and a half, which gives us the perfect time to-“ 

“No fucking chance,” he immediately cuts his friend off, “I have to give a tour with Karl to the new kids coming in today.”

“Do you actually think Mr. Young will care if you’re sober while doing so?” Nick retorts. “It’s not like he is most of the time.”

“Well...” Clay starts to talk back, but is cut off by his blanket being ripped off of his body leaving him in just sweatpants and his blanket being pulled out the window. “Hand it back.”

“No fucking chance,” Nick mocks, “Get dressed, I brought the Peru pipe,” Nick says stupidly, wiggling his eyebrows, reminding Clay of them time the two of them had bought a pipe on their class trip their sophomore year, “And Alex had an ounce dropped off last night, I paid him for half of it,” Nick continues to persuade Clay, and before he knows it, he’s fully dressed and sneaking out his window. It’s barely wide enough for him to fight his broad shoulders through. 

An hour later the two come, half-wobbling, out of the woods behind their adjacent dorms. Their sophomore and junior year at The Cortona School, they had been placed in the same building, but the school had discovered that to be quite the mistake, after the two had set the fire alarm off a record 7 times in the latter year. Having around 20 minutes to kill before they could get food in the dining hall, they decide it would be best if they went to their dorms and grab their backpacks and Clay can get his skateboard. 

The weight on Clay’s shoulders lightens as Karl jogs out of the dorm and bounds into Clay’s arms. 

“Dream!” the nickname Alex had coined him their sophomore year rolls easily off the tongue, well everyone’s except Clay’s teachers and Nick. “Dude first off all, you need to tell me when you leave early, I got nervous, and secondly, fuck you for not inviting me.”

A bubble of laughter erupts from both Karl and Clay’s throats, and Clay shoves him in the direction of Nick’s dorm, “Go ask Sappy,” and just as the words leave his mouth he regrets them, seeing a mad looking NIck staring directly back at him.  
“I fucking hate you sometimes, Dream” Nick taunts with Clay’s nickname, mocking what, Nick personally thought, to be a stupid nickname. I mean what’s so dreamy about the guy? 6’3, tanned, slightly toned, and long sandy blonde hair? Barf. 

The three wait outside the adjacent dorms for a few more of their friends: Quackity, Wilbur, Technoblade, Wilbur’s adopted underclassmen: Tommy and Tubbo, and Dream’s adopted underclassman: Ranboo. 

“What’s up Big D? Big S? Big K?,” The surprisingly tall freshman, Tommy inquiries from the three seniors as he shows up with his equally squeaky voiced friend, Tubbo. “You two reek by the way,” Tommy jokes to them before getting an elbow in the stomach from Nick.  
“Agh- Big S,” Tommy whines, “what the fuck?” Earning a laugh out of all four boys around him. 

Less than five minutes pass and all nine of them are standing outside the dorms, they proceed to start the quarter mile walk to their dining hall and school building.

“Dream, Karl, aren’t you guys giving the tour to the new kids today?” Wilbur asks the two boys although he already knows the answer, being the student assistant to the Dean of Students. ‘Wilbur’s a good guy’ “Yep,” Karl rolls his eyes but not enough for anyone to really notice, “there’s four new kids coming, two girls and two guys from what I’ve heard.” 

The boys continue to chatter about the new kids and what they thought the school’s chef would be making for breakfast, all praying it wasn’t oatmeal day. As they arrive at the dining hall, Clay and Karl grab bagels from the bread station, and make a b-line for the Dean of Students, Mr. Young. He’s positioned himself at the back of the cafeteria with a few of the other teachers. 

“Ah the two men I was hoping to see,” Mr. Young beams at them, before handing each of the boys a sheet with four names, photos, dorm names, dorm numbers, and class schedules printed on them. 

Clay scans the names, “Niki, Minx, Schlatt, and George,” he reads quietly to himself, before looking at the dorm names, seeing George and Schlatt would both be moving into his dorm, but upstairs. All four kids are apparently seniors.

“Either you guys can tour all four at the same time, or each of you can take two,” Mr. Young advises. 

“Want to each take two? Plus this Schlatt guy and you look like you would get along Dream,” Karl suggests. And he isn’t wrong Dream realizes as he reads more into Schlatt’s schedule. His electives are an extra US History Class, and apparently he’s planning on trying out for the football team, which Clay happens to be the top wide receiver for (and captain but let’s not get too cocky). Both things Clay, not only is quite interested in, but good at. “I can take this George kid and the Niki girl, both are in my cooking class,” Karl continues, snapping Clay out of his train of thought. He’s still quite high, and is fairly certain his eyes were red, as he’s receiving a group of dirty looks from the teachers at the table in front of him. 

“Oh um yeah, Karl that sounds good, so I’ll take this Minx girl and Schlatt? Cool.” Dream answers, trying to sound normal enough to cover up the fact he;s completely and utterly out of it. “Hey, also Karl, can you remind the boys that we’re all helping Tommy and Tubbo to set up their PCs tonight, so they can finally start playing with us?” Clay asks the boy, borderline pleading, as he hates dealing with the group as a whole, and knows Karl is much more persuasive than him. 

Karl agrees sheepishly and Clay hugs him, quite out of character for the taller boy, the teachers once again giving him a weird look. The two boys leave quickly after and say goodbye to their friends before heading down to the front office of the campus. Having been at the school for several years now the boys have become accustomed to the long walks and quarter mile uphills in the morning.

Clay pulls out his skateboard once they get to the bottom of the steepest hill and gives a quick salute to his friend before jumping on and gliding down to the front office. He wheezes at the screams of protest from Karl behind him and before he knows it he may have picked up a little too much speed. Deciding it would be best, he angles his skateboard into some grass before riding into it and jumping off into a lousy summersault. 

He hears clapping from down the road and looks up to see a purple haired girl laughing harder than Clay thinks anyone has ever laughed before. A boy with a Yankees hat is clapping sarcastically. Clay blushes as he sees all four of the new students standing outside the front office, a girl with pink hair giggling a little and a short boy with brown hair and a light blue sweater gawking at Clay, quickly turning away when he sees him looking straight back at him. Clay awkwardly gets up and walks back to the road where Karl has run down, and meets him with a pat on the back and a quiet, “nice one man.”

The two boys jog down the road, Clay’s skateboard in his hand, he wouldn’t dare to get back on. They get to the parking lot and stand in front of the four new kids who have formed a semicircle in front of them. Clay and Karl give the warmest fake smile they can before introducing themselves as their guides for the day. 

“So who here is Niki?” Karl inquires, the girl with the pink hair raises her hand and offers a small “me.” Karl gives her what seems to be a genuine smile this time, “Hey Niki, I’m Karl, and who here is George?” The boy in the light blue sweater raises his hand, “Uh that’s me,” his accent is foreign, British, Clay realizes. 

“Okay, so Niki and George, you guys will be coming with me,” Karl starts to say, but Clay interrupts and finishes his statement for him, “And you two, I’m going to guess Minx,” Clay points to the purple haired girl and she gives and wide smile, “and Schlatt?” Clay turns to point at the boy in the hat, and is met with, “that's me, big man.”

Karl starts talking again saying, “So Clay,” Karl turns towards him, “oh yeah that’s my name,” Clay quickly says, “but everyone calls him Dream,” Karl adds in.

“What kind of nickname is that,” Minx laughs, and Clay realizes she has a thick Irish accent. 

“That’s rude, I like it,” Niki says and Clay notices out of the corner of his eye, George shakes his head and smiles ever so slightly. Clay smirks at Niki and gives her a nod. She smiles back, but doesn’t blush like most girls at their school do. She just looks, well, ‘nice’. He gives her a real smile back this time. 

The two boys decide to let Clay start at the library and outside areas, and Karl would start in the actual school building. They would switch after forty five minutes and then take all the student to their appropriate dorms. 

The library is located directly across from the front office, so Clay starts to lead Schlatt and Minx over, punching in the key code, which he informs the two is 3859, and shows them around the two story library. He brings the two over to a set of stairs set in the very back corner of the library. Leading them down the stairs to the basement, he watches their eyes light up as they walk into the room. Decorated with a few ping pong tables, a pool table, a TV, Clay’s old xbox, and two PCs that belong to Wilbur and Techno, Clay loves the student center. Clay explained all these features to the two students in front of it, when Minx boldly asks, “Why does this place reek?”

“It’s funny you mention it, was it, um, Minx?” Schlatt responded, and was met with a nod from her, “I was going to ask the same thing, and I was going to ask, Dream, why does he himself stink?” He laughs, just teasing Clay, before wrapping an arm around him, “We’re going to get along great big man,” Schlatt comments, Clay just focuses on his new nickname, big man, he thinks it’s kinda funny. He takes his arm off of Clay, as the three of them head back upstairs and out into the hot Florida morning. 

Clay warns them of the long uphill they’re about to do. It takes them a bit, and Minx mutters profanities under her breath the entire way up, but they eventually arrive at the school building, and the fields next to them. The school is gorgeous, all white buildings, and actually maintained and repainted regularly. The baseball fields sit in between the meeting house and the school building, and the football fields are on the far side of the meeting house. Clay first takes them to the football fields, he knows Schlatt plays, and tosses him a football lying on the sidelines.

“What position big man ?” Clay uses his nicknames towards Schlatt.

“Is it not obvious? Go long.” Schlatt smirks.

Clay returns the smirk and starts taking off in a mid paced jog before it turns to a sprint and has almost perfect timing, the ball landing straight into his open arms. 

The two men exchange a devious smile and Minx gives an appropriate clap, nothing too proud. 

They throw the ball back and forth as they make their way back to the sidelines, before tossing it on the ground and heading to the meeting house and baseball fields. They spend little time in both, before crossing paths with Karl, George, and NIki walking out of the school building. Karl and Clay exchange the signature move of their friend group, a simple handshake with a salute after, and laugh at one another, before heading to their respective spots on the tour. Clay leads Schlatt and Minx from classroom to classroom, occasionally walking into one of the class rooms and introducing the two new kids to their different teachers. 

Clay grabs his phone out of his back jean pocket, checking the time, 8:41, it reads. 

“We have to get going. We’re meeting Karl and the others to move you guys into your dorms in five.” Clay informs the two. 

They both nod and follow him down the hallways until they reach the front entrance of the school building where they spot the other group. Karl definitely looks more relaxed than Clay feels. Clay meets the eyes of the boy, George, he recalls. The boy looks weirded out, almost disgusted, scared, ‘that’s what it is’, scared of Clay.

Karl and Clay quickly shake each other's hands and salute, before laughing, accompanied by Clay lightly punching Karl in the arm. 

“Hey so I’m not really in the mood to go to both dorms, would you mind taking the guys and I’ll take the girls?” Karl asks with pleading eyes. 

“I- Uh, Whatever, that’s fine,” Clay gestures for Schlatt to follow him and he throws his arm around George to get him to come with. George immediately tensing up, but not trying to escape, Clay notes. 

Clay takes his arm off of George once they step outside and he starts walking them down the monster of a hill, watching Karl and the girls head in the opposite direction.

“The girl’s dorms are located down on the opposite side of the school. Almost symmetrical to the way the boys’ dorms are set up,” Clay informs the two walking beside him. 

Schlatt has a certain look of disappointment on his face, and Clay immediately starts wheezing. 

“It’s not that bad, we sneak out enough, although we’re not technically allowed in the girls’ dorms, it’s always a thrill to go in the middle of the night, I’ll take you sometime...” Clay trails off before realizing that he’s inviting the new kid to break some of the biggest rules on campus within his first 2 hours of being there. Schlatt realizes that this dawns on him and breaks out in an award winning smile. 

George rolls his eyes. 

Clay takes note of this. 

“So, Dream,” George nearly sneers at him, “How do you like The Cortona School?”

“It’s alright, been here since I was a freshman, been going to boarding school all my life...” he starts explaining before he adds, “You have an accent, British, right?” 

“Yeah,” George says with a straight face, “British.”

Clay regrets asking, the boy doesn’t seem inclined to talk about where he’s from. Clay doesn’t say anything back, and instead chooses to do the rest of the walk in silence. Reaching their dorm, he explains to the two, “I live on the first floor of this dorm, both of you are upstairs, I believe you both have single rooms,” he grabs the piece of paper Mr. Young had given to him earlier, “George you’re in room 12, and Schlatt you’re in 8, those are both singles.” 

Both of the new boys smile, seeming to have gotten what they were hoping for. 

“Your stuff should all be in there, I’m going to be in my room, if either of you need help moving, just ask,” he adds. Clay attempts to make his voice sound as welcoming as possible, but he desperately doesn’t want to help either of the boys. He needs to sleep off his high before he goes to class.

George and Schlatt both nod at him and head upstairs, Schlatt taking the stairs two at a time, George nearly sprints up them. George is wearing light gray jeans and Clay notices just how nice- ‘What the fuck Clay’, he says to himself before mentally punching that thought out of his head. ‘Oh yeah, I’m high.’ He excuses his thoughts and makes his way to his room.

He grabs his keys from his front sweatshirt pocket, unlocking his dorm room, he loves his dorm room. He loves his large posters covering the walls top to bottom, his PC sat adjacent to his bed, and the two dressers he managed to get, and paraphernalia hidden under all of the clothes in those dressers. Not bothering to lock his door, he wants to make sure Schlatt or George could get a hold of him, he quickly strips off his jeans and grabs a pair of sweatpants to put on for now. 

His high pulls him into a light sleep, but wakes up from a loud repetitive knocking at his door. Clay jolts up to see Schlatt, hat on backwards this time.

“Hey I’m done unpacking my shit, what should I do now?” he asks the blonde haired boy.

“You can head up to the school building, go to the second floor, take a right, find the room numbered 205, and ask the woman at the front desk, her name is Julie, but don’t call her that you’ll get in trouble, call her Ms. Provdin, for a copy of your schedule,” Clay was still quite tired but managed to recite the instructions to Schlatt perfectly. “Oh also is George still unpacking Schlatt?”

“Yeah, I think he fell asleep for a bit, but I heard him go to the bathroom maybe 7 minutes ago.”

“Alright thanks, I’ll be up at your football tryouts tomorrow just so you know, you’re not too shabby.” Clay cringed at the compliment, ‘who the fuck says shabby?’ He mentally rolls his eyes at himself. 

“Um thanks big man, see you later,” Schlatt closes the door behind him and within 30 seconds Clay hears the front door close as well. He decides to go back to bed for a bit. 

He starts to drift back to sleep when a loud crash from upstairs makes him jump in his bed. Nearly falling out of bed, he slides his slippers on and stumbles out of his room still half asleep. ‘Oh shit George what did you do?’ Taking the stairs two at a time, Clay nearly trips over what he’s going to guess are a pair of Jordan 1s belonging to Karl. He gets to the top of the stairs and speedwalks to George’s dorm and knocks. 

“Oh um, I’m fine!” He hears George squeak from behind the door. 

“Can I come in?” Clay asks, “I know you’re fine but I also just want to introduce myself.”

“Give me 30 seconds! Just a second...” George replies, and Clay hears what sounds like clothes being thrown in drawers, and at the last second, a zipper being zipped up. George opens the door red faced, hair askew, staring at his feet, before looking up and gestures for Clay to come in.

George’s room has already been set up in a, ‘well cute way’, Clay ponders before deciding, ‘yeah George’s room is cute’. It’s covered with different decorations and lights that make it almost entirely blue. A light blue rug, a dark blue bean bag, his comforter is royal blue, a mirror with a baby blue frame, and LED lights set to blue. 

“Wow, so I’m going to guess your favorite color is red?”

George freezes up, “Well at least it’s not a piss yellow like that sweatshirt you’ve got on.”

Dream laughs, “Is that a joke?”

“What?” George looks slightly embarrassed.

“My sweatshirt is green...” Dream slowly explains, slightly mocking George. 

“Fuck, well I’m color blind. That’s why the room is so... it’s the only color I can see really, besides different shades of yellow,” George starts to explain before Dream is laughing so hard he thinks he may start to cry. “Fuck off Dream,” George says his name with the same level as disgust as before.

“Aw, I was just kidding, I really like your decorations anyways. Also you don’t need to call me Dream if you don’t like it, it’s just a stupid nickname some of my friends came up with a long time ago,” Clay shyly explains to George, he doesn’t want the new kid to hate him or anything, although George seems like he may have already made up his mind.

“Well either way, I’m trying to settle in,” George says quietly, obviously not trying to be that rude to Clay. 

“Oh yeah, sorry,” Clay awkwardly starts to leave before turning around and asking George if he knows of any of his classes.

“Yeah Karl had us get our schedules while we toured,” George explains, Clay mentally facepalming, ‘maybe getting stoned before helping people is actually that bad of an idea’. He hands Dream his schedule, Clay scanning it to look for similarities; he finds more than expected. 

“Oh, we have calculus, physics, and AP Lang together,” Clay gives him a warm smile and he really tries this time. George responds with a small smile, ‘better than nothing I guess’. “Alright well I’ll see you later, I think I’m just going to fuck around on my PC with some Minecraft or something,” and at that George suddenly seems interested to talk to him. 

“Oh I was actually just about to unpack my setup,” he says sheepishly, and Clay is instantly excited. 

“No way, thats dope, well me and my boys play a ton of Minecraft, when you’re all set up, you should join us sometime, I’m sure they’d love a new member to play with, I’m often at football with Nick, you’ll meet him soon, and they need more people,” Clay rambles on for a moment before shutting up and adding a quiet, “If you want to of course.”

George still seems hesitant to accept whatever friendship Clay was putting on the table, but he gives a slight nod and adds, “Yeah, maybe, I”m not great, but I’m not shit either.” This earns a laugh out of Clay. 

“Alright, well I’ll see you, come and knock on my door if you need anything, when you’re done unpacking, we can both walk up to the school building, I”m just supposed to be around to help if you need anything,” Clay states before turning around and heading back downstairs. As he’s heading downstairs he realizes he never did figure out what the crashing noise was. 

Going back to his room, Clay opens the top drawer of his dresser and pulls out his disposable vape and a dab pen Nick had gotten him as a late birthday present when they arrived back at The Cortona School after summer vacation. He wasn’t going to use them at the moment, but never liked leaving them lying around in his room just in case someone happened to pay a little “visit” to him. His sophomore year, his dorm parent had done a room search while he was showering, and found 300 dollars worth of his stuff and almost got Clay expelled. He cringes at the memory as he sits in front of his two monitors and starts up his PC, and once that’s done, Minecraft. 

Because everyone’s in class at the moment, he creates a new single player world, and starts speedrunning, a hobby he just recently picked up, and found he’s rather good at it. He’s sucked into the trance that he often finds himself in while playing.

Hours pass like minutes for Dream and doesn’t hear the brown haired boy knocking at his door until a loud “Dream?” startles the boy in his chair. 

“Oh come in,” Dream calls out, and is met with George walking in, his eyes seem red, but he can’t tell as George looks to the floor once he’s in the blonde boy’s room. 

“Sorry I didn’t mean to scare you, I was knocking for a bit but you weren’t answering, oh-” George stops mid sentence and looks around Clay’s room, “I really like you’re room, I can tell it’s really cool even though I can’t see it perfectly,” he points to a tapestry on Clay’s ceiling, “is that tye dye?” 

“Yeah, it’s rainbow, I try to fill my room with as much shit as I can find, you can uh, you can come in if you’d like,” Dream offers, George nods slowly, before saying, “Well should we be getting to school or something,” Dream notes that his voice sounds almost weak. 

“Aw do you not want to have fun?” Dream teases.

“I, uh, um, no, I-” Dream cuts George’s mumbling off, “I’m just kidding kid.” 

“We’re the same age.” George retorts. Dream wheezes at the shorter boy before getting out of his chair, taking a few steps towards the shorter boy (really just to show off how tall he was), and pulling his dab pen out of his sweatshirt pocket. “You sure you don’t want to hang out for a bit? I can explain all the art on my walls...” Dream trails off before realizing George looks scared of him.

“Oh shit, I, um, I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to scare you or anything, you don’t need to do anything. I should’ve asked if you smoked. That’s on me, I’m really sorry.” Dream apologizing profusely. George relaxes and starts shaking his head.

“I’m sorry I overreacted, that was stupid, I’m just not much of a smoker,” George explains. Dream looks down to George who he thought might be, blushing?, Dream smirks down to him as they make eye contact. George immediately turns red as a tomato and looks away frantically. 

“Yeah we should get to class,” George turns on his heels and nearly sprints out. Dream laughs under his breath about it. He tells George he’s going to throw on some jeans and closes the door behind him. He decides to change entirely and throw on a grey hoodie, a blue flannel, and black skinny jeans. He looks like a douchebag. ‘That’s the point’. He stares in his full length mirror, ruffles his hair back, and throws on a pair of black boots. Timberlands, he saw Schlatt had a pair on as well. He decides to leave his skateboard in his room this time. 

He meets George at the front door of their dorm, awkwardly running into each other while trying to get outside. They laugh it off, but Dream definitely sees a blush crawl onto George’s cheek. He leads the way the entire walk to the school building before they go their separate ways. George heads to Spanish 4, and Dream goes to his US History elective, where he’s expecting to see Schlatt. He feels two hands on his shoulders as he’s entering the class room and here’s a familiar voice.

“What’s up big man?” Dream grins and turns around, “Schlattttttttttt,” he drags out the man's name, “how’s your first day?”

“Not as bad as I expected honestly,” He grins and goes to take a seat next to Clay. Clay tells him that his friend Nick will be in this class. 

As if on cue, Nick enters and Schlatt puts his hand to the side of his mouth, and says, fairly loudly, “Sapnap!”  
Nick proceeds to walk over and say hi. Nick then walks to Clay and does their friend group’s handshake.

“Nick, I see you’ve met Schlatt...”

“Oh this is Nick?” Schlatt questions, “That’s funny, he introduced himself to me as Sapnap during English 12. But it’s nice to, I guess, formally meet you-” Nick cuts him off, “Continue to call me Sapnap, this asshat is the only person allowed to call me Nick.” 

“Fuckin weirdos....” Schlatt turns to the front of the class, and Dream is wheezing in his chair as their teacher enters the room.

The rest of the day passes with ease to Clay. He sees George in two separate classes, both times sitting close to the brown haired boy, but he’s not sure if George even wants his company. The final bell of the day finally rings and Clay has to fight for Nick’s attention, but eventually manages to pull him away from the group of girls that surround him. It wasn’t that Clay didn’t want to talk to the girls, well he didn’t but that’s beside the point, he and Nick had committed to helping Tommy and Tubbo build their PCs. The large group of boys have played minecraft together since they started at The Cortona School their freshmen year, adding on new people to their worlds whenever they started at the school and got along well with the group. ‘Tommy and Tubbo are basically Wilbur’s little brothers at this point’. 

“Where are we meeting everyone?” Nick questions him, he seemed upset about having to leave the girls, but at least he’s speaking to Clay. 

“The freshman dorm, Wilbur, Techno, and Karl are also helping,” Clay explains to the younger, and at the mention of Karl, Nick actually seems excited to help.

Clay takes note of this. 

They arrive at the two freshman’s dorm around the same time as the rest of the guys helping, and they knock loudly four times. Within a few seconds they’re met with Tubbo’s smiling face. 

“Hey guys! Thanks for doing this again, it really means a lot, I’m super excited to be able to play finally. I’ve been looking forward to this for a bit now...” Tubbo’s rambling is cut off with a low sigh from Technoblade.

“Yeah no problem kid, where’s your room?” The pink haired man inquires. 

They decide that Wilbur and Technoblade will help Tubbo and Karl, Sapnap, and Dream will help Tommy. 

Probably not the best pairings but it’ll be fineeeeee. 

Dream is actually the person who helps the blond kid the most, Karl and Nick ran off to go smoke on the bridge near over the river next to the freshman dorm. That’s one of the group’s favorite spots when they want to run off and participate in activities they’re not supposed to.

By the time Karl and Nick are back nearly an hour later, Dream and Tommy have become good at working together and figuring things out. It’s almost endearing, ‘almost’. Clay’s taking a liking to this kid, loud and obnoxious, yes, but also kind and cares deeply about his friends.

Later that evening all seven of the boys leave the dorm to head up to dinner. They’ve written down all the remaining instructions, although it’s not much, so they’re optimistic they’ll be playing together by midnight tonight. 

The boys make their way to the dining hall, and Schlatt happens to be heading up from the boys’ dorm, with George trailing 100 feet behind him. Nick calls out to Schlatt to have him join and Clay gives a small smile to George who barely returns it and looks down to his feet. 

Dream turns back to his friends and they all make their way to the dining hall. 

“Nick?”

“Hm?”

“Do you think George would want to join us for dinner?”

“Who’s George?”

“Short new kid,” Schlatt butts into the conversation. 

“Oh him? No he doesn’t seem like he’d like us all that much. A bit pretentious looking don’t you think?” Nick offers his thoughts.

“Yeah he looks like he thinks we’re all dumber than a bag of rocks,” this time it’s Tommy who offers input.

“Any askers?” Dream shoots the freshman a glare.

“Schlatt-” Tommy starts to complain but is cut off once again by a glare from Dream. 

Dream likes the kid, but taking advice from a freshman was not something he was going to do in front of his friends. He motions for Karl and Nick to come with him after they’ve all gotten their foods. Schlatt is already deep in conversations with Wilbur and Technoblade, and all three seem to have taken a liking for each other. 

As they’re walking out the building they hear Alex call from behind, “If you’re doing what I think you are, and you didn’t invite me, we’re going to have some fucking issues boys.”

Dream whips his head around “Quack I’m so sorry,” Dream giggles at the nickname before getting a punch in the stomach.

“Ay fuck you, I was the one who was able to make this all happen anyways,” Quackity points out, the nickname being coined by Technoblade their freshman year, something about a ducky tie.... 

On the way towards the freshman dorms, a group of senior girls pass them on skateboards. Mackenzie, Parker, CJ, and Cassie. They seem to have the same idea as the guys, and Rachel and Cassie slow down and turn towards the boys.

“You guys headed to the bridge?” Mackenzie calls out. She has long black hair and is well known around the school. She and Nick had a fling their sophomore year but they ended on good terms and all of them still hang out occasionally. Parker and Cassie don’t seem interested in chatting and they continue down the road to the path.

“Yeah, you guys tryna match?” Nick responds with a smirk that made a blush appear on both girls’ faces. 

“Always,” CJ respondes, this time making the blush appear on Nick’s face. He quickly looks at the rest of the guys with a pleading look on his face.

“You guys good with that,” NIck informes the group, it was more a statement than a question..

“Of course Sappy,” Alex vouches to Nick before the boys reach the two girls waiting for them on the other side of the road. The six of them discuss the school day, including the four new kids and what they thought of them, before reaching Cassie and Parker at the bridge. 

“How are you two ladies doing this afternoon?” Alex teases the two, before receiving a swat on the arm from both the girls. 

The four senior girls are perhaps the only people outside of their friend group that they got along with. They all are fairly down to earth, and never too flirty or pushy like a lot of the girls on campus. Karl and Nick sit down on one end of the bridge, pull out a school book as a flat surface, rolling papers, a grinder, and a few of the nugs from the half an ounce Quackity gave Nick. Nick knows Karl loves grinding so he hands him the weed and grinder and gives him a quick smile.

Karl giggles lightly, before CJ and Cassie walk over to the boys and hand them what looks to be about an eighth to Nick.

“Grind this up too. We miss smoking with you guys,” CJ comments to Karl in particular. Sapnap feels his face start to heat up. 

Walking up to the small group that’s formed, Clay grabs both of Nick’s shoulders and pulls him up and backwards towards his chest before looping an arm around him and walking down the path a few hundred feet. They position themselves next to the wooden structure that used to be an outhouse until the boys their junior year had turned into their favorite place to hotbox . 

“Sorry about that, but we need to have a word,” Clay starts to say before being interrupted by the brown haired man, “is this about the girls? We don’t need to smoke with them, I can ask them to leave. Or we can come up with some excuse.”

“No, It’s not about the girls Nick,” he scoffs, “it’s about the new kids.”

“Oh, Schlatt? He seems cool.”

“Yeah he does, but he’s also a quarterback Nick...” Clay finally confesses.

“Oh, and I’m, yeah, okay,” Nick processes this information while trying to obviously not look crushed.

Quarterback. The thing Nick had fought for for the last three years. Practicing in the shadow of Philza, the top quarterback in the state. He had committed to Clemson his senior year, and has just started to play these past few months. 

“Can we talk about this after Schlatt tries out, please,” Nick looks with pleading eyes to Clay.

“Yeah of course, we just can’t put it off forever,” Clay smiles to Nick, “Okay we can go.” 

They start to head back to the bridge before they realize that they’re met with an unusual addition to their group. 

“Oh hey George”


	2. Introductions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tension grows between the two boys as they get to know each other better. Sapnap and Dream finally get to see what Schlatt's like on the field. George is a cheerleader?
> 
> This chapter contains three smoking scenes, one at the very beginning, one in the middle, and one at the very end (ik its a lot i was going to make this two separate chapters but they weren't long enough)

“Hey...” Clay calls out nervously, “How’s your first day been?”

“Not half bad, thanks for asking,” George responds to the taller, he seems warmer than the last few times they’ve interacted. 

“Good to hear, how’d you know about the bridge?” Dream questions, coming off harsher than he intends. 

“Well that was fucking rude,” Parker mutters under her breath, obviously not trying to be that quiet.

“Oh um, Niki and I were walking around after class today and found it, I didn’t know it was such a, uhm, hot spot,” he giggles at his final words and Clay’s knees nearly buckle at the sound; He’s never heard something so angelic. 

“It’s our favorite spot, woods hide it enough so we can,” he gestures to Karl sitting on the ground with the ground up weed on his physics textbook, “yeah...”

“I can leave, sorry, I didn’t realize...” George starts to talk but is interrupted by Nick, “No stay, if you’d like,” he gives George a smile. Incredibly out of character for him.

Clay takes note of this. 

Nick sits back down next to Karl, grabs the rolling papers, and gets to work. In less than 10 minutes he has four pristine joints on the textbook in front of him. He smiles at his work before positioning them in between his fingers Wolverine style. He holds them up to a grinning Dream. Sapnap lets him take two, handing one to Mackenzie, and Nick handing one to CJ. Alex whistles to get their attention, holding up two zippo lighters, a gold and a silver.

“Gold,” Nick calls out, and at the same time, “Silver,” comes out of Dream’s mouth. 

They grin at each other and catch the lighters Alex toss to them. Lighting their joints at the same time, Clay catches Nick, wink?, at, Karl? Handing the lighter to Mackenzie, he starts thinking about Nick’s strange affection towards Karl these last few days. This side Nick has been showing around Karl recently is one Clay’s never seen before. ‘Why have I never seen this out of him?’

Taking a few hits, he hands it over to Quackity, who stands close to him. Passing it between one another, Clay notices George talking to Karl and Sapnap out of the corner of his eye. He elbows Alex slightly and nods his head in their direction. The three men seem to be laughing and Clay sees George’s eyes glimmer from the Florida sunset. He looks, well, Clay thinks he looks beautiful. As if on auto-pilot he walks over to the three boys.

“Oh hey Dream how’s it going,” Karl smiles to the boy with red and tired eyes.

“It’s going well Karl,” Giving the shorter boy a lopsided smile. 

“Hey George, you want to smoke-,” 

“Oh he doesn’t-” Clay starts to explain to Karl.

“Yeah sure,” George gives Dream a short look before smiling at Karl.

Karl hands him the joint that’s definitely over halfway gone; the brunette looks nervous but smiles at Karl.

Clay would give George the rest of his if he asked.

The shortest of the group takes it cautiously from Karl’s fingers before bringing it up to his lips, and takes a small, appropriate hit. His face goes slightly red before exhaling, coughing twice, and swallowing hard. George does this a few more times, and the entire time Clay’s eyes never leave George’s lips. 

George hands the joint to Nick this time and Dream brings his own back up to his lips before he’s aware that he needs to relight it. He motions to Alex for a lighter, who walks over to Rachel and Cassie and asks if “you lovely ladies'' happen to have his lighter. Walking back to Dream, Alex tosses it and, managing to catch it one handed, he brings it up to the end of his joint, flicks the lighter open, and relights it all in one swift motion. Dream once again looks like a complete douchebag. 

George is staring him down this time, starting to feel the high kick in, and makes eye contact with Sapnap. He’s wiggling his eyebrows in the brunette’s direction, Clay choosing to just ignore the interaction. Immediately laughing it off, Nick doesn’t think much of it, but it takes a minute before George can unfreeze his body. 

After ten minutes, all four joints have been smoked and the group is headed to their respective dorms. Saluting to say goodnight, the two groups of boys unlock their front doors and walk in. Karl and Clay walk to the right and George starts to go upstairs. Clay’s on the way to his dorm before everything that just happened comes crashing down. Deciding it would be best, Clay heads upstairs to check on the younger boy.

“Hey George can I come in super quick?” Dream realizes his voice sounds shy and clears his throat, “Hello?”

“Oh yeah come in,” Clay thinks he can hear a smile in George’s voice.

He walks into George’s room, finding him lounging in sweats and a thin grey t-shirt that looks at least two sizes too big for the man. Sitting cross legged in his gaming chair, George gives him a wonky smile. 

“Hi Dreamie,” George lets the nickname out and promptly clamps his mouth shut, “I-sorry... high,” is all he says after.

Dream laughs whole heartedly, “No, it’s okay, it was, uhm,” he clears his throat, “ah, cute,” before also clamping his mouth shut. 

The two boys stare at each other for just a moment too long. 

“Sorry I’m just here because I wanted to make sure you weren’t freaking out. You didn’t need to smoke you know? I’m sorry if my friends pressured you. They don’t care if you smoke or not,” Dream rapidly explains to the shorter man who’s just grinning. 

“Dream, Clay,” he emphasizes his vowels when he says the blonde’s name, “I wouldn’t have done it if I didn’t want to, I didn’t earlier because it was like ten AM you psycho. I don’t smoke a lot, but it is my first day here, I might as well live a little.” 

Clay grins at the boy. “That’s the spirit, well okay, I just wanted to make sure you were fine. Also, a few of my friends are finishing setting up their PCs, I’ll let you know if they finish and we could play some Minecraft.”

“And how do you plan on letting me know?” George asks, ‘oh so now he’s the bold one,’ Dream grins to himself.

“Well how about you give me your phone and I’ll put my number in. I can add you to the senior group chat if you’d like that as well,” Dream asks the boy.

“Yeah I’d like that,” George answers as he grabs his phone from its charger on his bed. He unlocks it and hands it to the taller. 

“Here,” Clay says tossing it back, “Just text me and I’ll add you to the group chat when I get back to my room.” 

“Thanks. Well, um, have a good night Clay,” smiling at him fully for the first time since he’s gotten there, and for once George actually seems to like having him around. 

Clay turns and walks out of the boy’s dorm, hearing the door shut behind him. The shit eating grin on his face doesn’t leave until he takes a seat in his gaming chair.

Opening his texts to his friend group, he sees there’s been a long conversation between Wilbur and Tubbo. Tommy was able to finish his PC, but the shorter freshman needed a little more explanation. By the look of it, he’s figured it out and Clay can hop onto Minecraft. He was excited for the first time in awhile to talk to his friends. 

*Dream joined the game* 

*ding*

“Sorry I’m late boys, I was busy with some stuff,” Clay doesn’t technically lie. He hears a variety of “hello” and “hi’s” from his friends before one voice stands out.

“Hey big man,” he hears a familiar deep voice ring out.

“Is that a Schlatt I hear?” He searches the discord for new names and finds one, no doubt, “Schlatt” is the newest member in their calls. Clay smiles, he really likes this new guy.

“Yes sir it is, how are you doing this fine evening?” Schlatt has a grin in his voice. 

The banter went on between the men for a few minutes before deciding to actually make progress in their world. Heading to different voice calls, the group splits up before figuring out on things to do. Tubbo and Tommy mine for most of the night, Schlatt joins in with Wilbur and Techno, which leaves Quackity, Karl, Sapnap, and Dream to start building homes close to spawn. . 

The nine friends play until 3:00 when finally they decide they should head to sleep. Although the blonde man wasn’t tired he knew he was going to be the next morning if he didn’t at least try to close his eyes. He checks his phone one last time and saw he had a text.

New Number

2:56

-hey sorry this is late, it’s george though :]

Debating on whether or not to send a text back, Clay weakly types out:

-Hey George you're up late

*send*

-could say the same thing about you,, now gn i'm going to bed

-Goodnight George

Within minutes of setting his phone down Clay is curled up, head fuzzy and just empty enough to tolerate. This is always his favorite time of day. When his brain is empty and the world is quiet. 

Tuesday morning, Sapnap and Dream get called into the coaches office and are promptly informed that they’ll be overseeing Schlatt’s tryouts. 

“They’re going to be at the same time as the cheer tryouts today, don’t distract them too much boys,” Coach Nox gives them a smile before excusing them from his office. 

Humid Florida air fills their lungs as the two boys run out to the fields after school that day. Clay spots a pretty large group of students standing outside the meeting house, presumably the cheer tryouts. As he’s deep in thought he spots someone he wasn’t expecting standing with the group. George. What he doesn’t notice is the football sitting on the ground in front of him, and takes the least graceful fall straight into the dirt. 

Sapnap erupts in laughter and both the cheer tryouts and Dream’s coaches stare at him in awe before bursting out in laughter. A heat rises to Clay’s face as he watches George giggle behind the two cheer captains. He spots Niki and Minx with the rest of the team, Niki sports a black shirt and pink leggings, Minx is in sport shorts and a long sleeved shirt. Picking himself off the ground, Clay does his best to fight the fire burning up his face and continues jogging towards a doubled over Schlatt. His coaches do a poor job trying to hide their laughter. 

“Nice one big man, can’t believe you’re the one getting to judge me today,” Schlatt remarks with a wink. 

“Good one, now give me 3 laps,” smirks Dream.

Schlatt looks at the coaches in disbelief but is met with shrugs from all three of them,

“Hey, he’s your potential captain,” the assistant coach says with a certain level of humor in his voice. Schlatt doesn’t say another word before taking off into a jog. 

“Really Clay?” His head coach tries sounding annoyed, it doesn’t work, and before he knows it, his coach has a smile plastered across his face, “Nice one.”

Nick is the first one to comment about Schlatt, “So what do we know about him?”

“Was backup his freshman and sophomore year, started at QB his junior year, but injured his wrist late in the season, claims he’s fully recovered,” their coach seems confident in his assessment of Schlatt, “apparently a great player, not the best kid from what I’ve heard though.”

“Nick and I have both had really good interactions with him so far,” Dream butts in.

“And I don’t doubt it, just want to keep an eye out,” his coach reassures him. 

By the time Schlatt finishes his three laps, Sapnap and Dream have a list of workouts and exercises to do with Schlatt to see how he could fit in with the team. 

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

After 3 hours, the sun has started to set and the boys are finally done. All three, drenched in sweat say their goodbyes to the coaches and make their way to the locker rooms. Schlatt knows the two captains can’t tell him anything so he chooses to discuss the cheerleading tryouts that happened next to them.

“The girls in Florida seem a lot, um, cooler than the girls in New York,” Schlatt comments with a cough.

“Oh yeah, the girls at the school here I feel like are always a lot nicer than the girls from my hometown,” Clay responds, not quite sure what to say to that. Yeah sure he’s had a girlfriend but he’s never really really liked any of the girls around him. He’s found them pretty, but that’s about it. He wants to change the topic but Sapnap takes off in a ramble about CJ, the girl they smoked with the other day. Sap keeps eyeing him while talking about her. The two brown haired boys discuss the looks of a variety of the cheerleaders before Clay is prompted,

“So Clay, you haven’t had a thing with a girl in what, two years? What happened?” Nick bluntly asks.

“You’ve never had a problem with it before,” Clay mumbles to his friend.

“I don’t have a problem with it, I was just asking dude, it’s not a big deal...” Nick shoots back, going on the defensive.

Clay doesn’t say anything else the rest of the walk back. Pulling off his shirt and dirty cleats he turns to ask Nick if they’re going to meet up with the guys after practice and is instead met with the cheerleader he was watching.

“Oh, uhm,” he clears his throat loudly, “Hey George, how were, uh, tryouts?”

“They went great, how was Schlatt?” George asks beaming at Clay, and in that moment Clay thinks he may pass out.

He doesn’t understand it, doesn’t understand why he feels these things around this boy. Why does his dark brown hair and equally dark eyes make his stomach churn and his face turn to fire? All Clay wants is the boy to like him, he wants to make him smile and laugh and be the reason he comes to class, he wants him to sit with him at breakfast. His thoughts are swarming but he's broken out of them when a hand flies in front of his face.

“Earth to Dream, Earth to Dream,” George says with a giggle.

Clay’s legs might as well have been made out of jello. He focuses and realizes what’s happening, “Oh yeah it went really well, hopefully he’ll be a good addition to the team.”

Sapnap turns the corner, looks at Dream, looks at Dream’s chest, nods at him, then heads to the exit, before he calls out a simple “Bridge in 20.”

Turning to grab his shirt from his locker, Dream catches George staring at his shoulders and back, he slightly flexes to show off. Maybe he searches for his shirt for a little too long. 

Throwing on his shirt he notices George scrolling on his phone. 

“Hey, you could come to the bridge if you want, it’ll probably just be me, Nick, and Karl. I think it should be fun, and don’t feel pressured to smoke if you don’t want to,” he tries to say in the most reassuring tone possible. 

“And what if I want to smoke?” George asks nervously while looking down.

Clay offers a light laugh and a smirk in the shorter boy's direction, “Yeah of course you can, just don’t feel obligated to Georgie,” the nickname makes the brown haired boys eyes shoot up to meet Clay’s.

Looking excited, George nods and gives him a quick smile, Clay nods in the direction of the exit, “Wanna head out?” 

“Yes please.” 

That takes the breath straight out of Clay’s lungs. 

Walking out of the locker rooms they meet Nick and start heading down the path. The blonde notices Nick trying to catch his attention and gives him a puzzled look, but Clay’s not quite in the mood to "eye explain" the situation to his friend. He decides to wait until the two had one of their late night discord calls to discuss George. 

As they approach the bridge they find a smiling Karl and Quackity, the latter has already started rolling a blunt for the boys to share. It dawns on Clay that a blunt may not be the best thing for George, and the shorter seems to be having those same feelings. Clay grabs Nick by the shoulder and pulls him down the path just a bit. 

“Hey I don’t think a blunt is a good idea for George,” Clay confesses.

“We could hotbox,” Nick suggests with an evil look on his face.

Clay thinks about it for a moment before agreeing silently and heading back over to the group. He leans down so he can whisper in George’s ear, “Hey I wasn’t sure if you were comfortable smoking a blunt so I asked Nick if it was cool if we hot box the old outhouse, we’ve been using it for seshes for like a year now.”

George looks at him and for a moment their noses almost touch. George’s breath is hot and he nods slowly at the taller boy. Clay gestures for Nick to roll them a blunt and he gets to work. In 10 minutes or so Clay and George are standing outside the outhouse with Nick’s lighter in Clay’s back pocket.

“So I’m going to go inside and smoke a bit and then when I knock you can come in and I’ll smoke a little more, but I don’t want to accidentally drop ash on you or anything,” Dream gives him a smile before stepping inside. He closes the door behind him and sits down on the seat in front of him. There’s enough space that hypothetically three people could fit, but two is much easier. 

Clay pulls the lighter out of his pocket and holds the flame up to the blunt, making sure it’s fully lit. He smokes a third of it before standing up and knocking three times on the wooden door. When it opens he’s met with a nervous looking George. He offers him his hand before pulling him inside and moving to the side so the shorter boy can sit down. 

Closing the door behind him he turns back around and looks down to the boy sitting in front of him. The position, although Clay loves it, is highly inappropriate, so he ops to sit on the ground in front of where the shorter man is.

Clay sees the brunette take in a few deep breaths, obviously trying to inhale the smoke.

“Do you mind if I smoke a bit more? Just so you know, you can actually get high,” he suggests.

“Yeah, that’s good, I’m good with that,” George smiles at him. Dream once again pulls out the lighter and brings it to the blunt resting between his lips. He takes a few long inhales before blowing them in George’s direction, trying to avoid the clouds going directly into his face. George closes his eyes and slightly parts his lips, taking a few breaths before he looks in Dream’s direction. He gives him a wonky smile.

“Hi... Clay,” he draws out his name for the taller boy.

“Hi George, you enjoying yourself?” Clay lets out a light laugh. The boy sitting next to him looks down into his green eyes that now don a red veil over them. 

“Very much so. You’re not as bad as I thought,” George lets out before throwing his hand to his mouth, “I’m sorry I didn’t mean it like that.”

Clay laughs and looks at him earnestly, “You know, I probably deserve that one,” George gives him another laugh before taking a few more deep inhales. Clay relights the blunts and decides that it’s as good a time as any to offer him a hit. He holds it out to George with a questioning look. George holds out his fingers. Clays looks surprised.

“Yeah well um, just be careful, don’t take too big of a hit, I don’t want to kill you, or get you caught for that matter,”Clay warns George, but he’s met with that angelic giggle.

“I’m not like some virgin you know,” George says before realizing what came out of his mouth, and by the time he goes to take it back, Clay is nearly coughing up his lung from wheezing so hard, “I didn’t mean it like that, I just meant...”

“I know what you meant, you’re just cute,” and once again Clay is biting his tongue. 

Neither of the boys acknowledge the moment and instead George just passes the blunt back. Within the next few minutes they're done with it and Clay's putting it out on the floor of the old shack. 

Dream informs George that they should stay in here for a few minutes before they leave so George can really feel it, it’s somewhat of a lie, he knows George must be absolutely faded by now.. The two boys sit in silence for no more than five minutes before Dream stands up and hovers over the smaller boy, his crotch perfectly situated at George’s eye level. He offers a hand before opening the door and letting all the smoke out. 

He hears a shout from the bridge, “Hey, boys! I just got a text from Techno that Mr. Young is doing rounds right now, we should head out,” and with that Dream turns to the shorter who’s already stepping out. 

“Alright well, wanna walk back to the dorms together?” Dream offers the brunette and is met with a George shaking his head yes before adding, “I’m sure the rest of them will be heading that way too.”

Dream’s suspicion rings true as he gets a nod from Sapnap indicating to follow him. The group of boys head in the direction of their dorms, George half leaning on Karl most of the way. He mumbles something about going to sleep when they reach their buildings.

“Hey you tryna to come hang in my room, I’m not trying to waste this high lying in bed,” Dream asks Karl. 

The boy quickly agrees and the two start to head to the blonde’s room, Karl taking a spot on his bed whereas Dream heads to his gaming chair. 

“So what do you think about all the new kids,” Karl inquires to the boy. 

“They seem really nice, Schlatt and I seem to do well together on the field, and Niki and Minx both seem super... cool,” Dream adds. 

“And...?”

“And?” 

“George? You two seem to get along, quite... well,”

“Oh yeah um, he seems super nice, don't know him well,” Dream comments which grants an eye roll from Karl. 

“Yeah, don’t know him well...sure,” Karl remarks, repeating his words back to him, “either way, all four seem like good additions to the school. Nothing like Illumina,” the name bringing up bad memories for Clay. 

“We can only pray...” he starts to say before he stops and loads up his computer. The low growl from the fan fills whatever empty space is left between the two. 

The two talk for a bit before Karl heads upstairs to shower. Clay realizes he hasn’t even bothered to change since Schlatt’s tryouts, so deciding he doesn’t want to smell like shit, he heads to the bathroom across from his room grabbing his speaker, towel, and an extra change of clothes. 

Opening up Spotify, the blonde selects his favorite playlist and The Spins by Mac Miller is blasted in the tiny bathroom. He reaches for the light switch, letting the rainbow lights from his speaker light up the room. As he waits for the water to get past ice cold, he pulls off his shirt, grabs his phone, and plops down on the toilet. Opening up Snapchat, he’s met with the group chat’s plans for the next day and a few texts from his sister. 

Looking up, he sees his mirror start to steam up, ‘well at least I know Karl didn’t steal all the hot water,’ something that’s become at least a weekly occurrence. 

Before he notices, he’s spent at least forty fives minutes standing under the warm water. The droplets trickling down his cheeks bring him back to earth. 

‘You don’t like George. He’s just interesting. You want to be his friend. That’s why you’re so obsessed. You want to be his friend,’ he repeats in his head until he starts to believe himself. 

It wasn’t that he’s homophobic, far from it, his friends are just, well, they’re his friends. They’re the boys he spent most of his high school career talking about cheerleaders and the pretty girls they saw while grabbing coffee. They’re the people whose opinions mean the most to him. He just doesn’t want to freak them out. He wants everything to stay how he likes it, normal. 

After another 15 minutes under the hot water, he finally steps out the shower. Ruffling his hair in a towel, he grabs a comb and runs it through his almost chin length hair. Clay ties the towel around his waist before staring in the fogged up mirror and running hand through his hair. He looks, ‘old,’ he touches his face a few times before grabbing the sweats laying on the floor next to him.

He gets dressed rather quickly in comparison to his almost hour long shower. Turning off his speaker, which it's latest choice is She Knows This by Kid Cudi, one of Sapnap’s favorite songs, he rushes quickly back to his room before sitting down in his chair. 

A ding from his phone tells him the next thing he’s to do.

Nick:

9:57 

-bridge in 20? bored. need adrenaline. 

-can we wait til 11? cant have eric

Dream’s dorm parent, catching us like last week.

The memory flashes into Dream’s mind. The two boys were caught like deer in headlights when his dorm parent popped out of the tree line while the two were smoking cigarettes last Wednesday. Him being this far into his experience at Cortona, Dream has moved past the nervousness that comes with getting caught, that feeling has long turned into pure embarrassment. 

He reluctantly agrees to Nick’s proposal and meets the brunette in the woods behind their dorms an hour later. The two make the half mile walk pass like minutes, bantering about their non existent love lives. 

They arrive at their favorite spot within 20 minutes and as Nick pulls out what looks like a deck of cards, Clay gives him a puzzling look. Opening up the packaging he reveals two joins instead of cards inside of the box. The smile that spreads on Clay’s face is unmatched. 

“My boy, my man, my god,” he jokes to the younger man before grabbing one of the joints from the container, “you, kind sir, are a genius,” Nick laughs at the comment but it’s obvious in his face that Clay calling him that brings a level of pride to his heart. 

Mocking back Nick chuckles a, “Of course kind sir,” in the worst medieval accent Clay has ever heard. 

Laughter erupts between the two boys before a light flickers from the freshman girls dorm. 

“Down, down,” Clay mutters to the brunette who has already flopped to the ground, head to the side so Clay can hear him.

“Wanna smoke?,” Nick wiggles his eyebrows in the dark, and he's so quiet that Clay can barely make out the next statement, “live a little?” Sapnap suggests before pulling out a lighter from his back jean pocket.

“You’re fucking insane.... hand it over,” he reluctently mutters, secretly thrilled with Nick’s idea, ‘living can’t hurt, can it?’ 

The light’s still on when Nick half tosses the lighter in Clay’s direction. For a quarterback, his aim is shit, and Clay has to army crawl to grab the lighter off the dirty ground. 

“Jeez maybe Schlatt will take your spot,” Clay jokes before realizing just how absolutely shitty of a joke it is.

Nick tries to laugh it off but it’s obvious his words were rubbing salt in a fresh wound.

“You know I’m fucking with you right? The man could play like Brady but there’s no chemistry better than yours and the team’s,” Clay attempts to reassure his friend.

The light turns off at the perfect time. Both boys stand up and light their joints respectively, not saying a word until both of them are at least half done.

“Listen, I’m sorry for what I said about Schlatt, he seems good, but he’s not what the team is looking for anyways, we’re looking for someone who knows us, knows our heart, and you know it better than any one of us,” Clay tries to sound as genuine as he can, he is being genuine, ‘right?’ 

Nick gives him a warm smile before a quick punch in the arm, “Yeah I was just fuckin with you, if any of you think I’m being replaced by a Yankees fan, you’re a bunch of fucking dumb asses.” 

They both laugh with their whole chest this time. 

Nick finishes his joint first, Clay’s done within the minute.

“Got the time?” Clay asks his friend who’s fishing his phone from his back pocket.

“12:13, wanna head back at 12:30, I’m enjoying the fresh air,” Nick asks knowing that Clay is already thinking the same thing.

Twenty minutes pass like seconds for the boys, light hearted conversation quickly turns to the two discussing their families and home. 

“You know I miss Drista a lot, but whenever I’m home, it’s just... our parents constantly cause some fight to break out between the two of us,” Clay explains to the brunette, “I want to be a good older brother but it’s hard to do that when I see her for a couple weeks a few times every year.”

“She loves you, you can tell how much she looks up to you, I’m sure it’s hard to balance listening to your parents and wanting to be like you...” Nick chuckles before adding, “I’m sure it can’t be easy raising a mini you.”

It dawns on Clay that his friend is probably right, “Time?”

“12:47, shit sorry didn’t even realize it,” Nick clears his throat, “let’s head back, yeah?” 

A silent yes is all Nick needs before turning on his heels and walking down the path followed closely by the blonde. The two walk in almost complete silence before reaching their dorms.

“Met outside at 7:30?” Nick asks right before he turns to sneak through his window.

“No shit,” Clay grins, heading to the fire escape of his dorm. He knows he could go through his window, but the chances of his shoulders getting stuck is a risk he doesn’t want to take. His high makes him float up the stairs and as quickly and quietly possible, he unlocks the door and steps inside. 

Loud snoring causes him to nearly wet himself, his head turning sharply to room 12. 

“Schlatt,” Clay grumbles to himself, louder than he hopes to. 

He hears quick shuffling from two doors down the hall, ‘George.’ 

This time, he thinks silently. 

He can see the blue LED lights seep from under his door and decides it’s as good a time as any to talk to the boy. Taking a few more steps, he lightly knocks before opening the door slightly.

The sight has his jaw on the floor.

George is facing his mirror in a maroon skirt and matching athletic top, presumably one from the cheer team. He looks, well, ‘he would look better bent over....seriously clay? now?’ he tries to push out the thoughts before registering exactly what he’s just done.

“I- uhm, I’m sorry I just wanted to check on you, I was sneaking out with Nick, I went through the back door, I mean, uh, the fire escape,” Clay starts to ramble when he’s met with a,

“Get the fuck out of my room,” George whisper shouts at the boy. 

“Oh yeah um yeah that,” Clay says before nearly slamming the door shut. His high has him standing, knees weak, outside the boy's door for what feels like an hour. He runs through every possible thing he could’ve done in that moment, but all are shoved from his head when he hears a quiet, “you can come in if you’re just going to stand there all night.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I'm trying this thing related to how I refer to Dream and Sapnap by either clay and nick or dream and sapnap or even sap. Idk if it worked but yeah :)


	3. Tension

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is gonna be longer than intended lol

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope you all enjoy this chapter, it's pretty long and i'm really happy with it :) 
> 
> I post playlists for each chapter that i do! my spotify is racheljacobs627 and all the posted chapters have one :)

Sheepishly opening the door, Clay keeps his head low as he enters the room. Silence settles over the two before he decides to speak.

“I-”

“Save it, you saw what you saw, no takesies backsies, just don’t say anything to your friends.”

“My friends? Why would they give a shit? Also, takesies backsies?”

“Look, I’m new, you’re... well, you, I just don’t want people finding out you walked in on me in a skirt, okay? That doesn’t seem like I’m asking much,” George finally snaps.

“Understood. I just, why, why don't you want people finding out, they would eat that shit up,” Clay admits, “It’s not like it’s a bad look or anything,” Clay adds at the end before clearing his throat.

George looks at the floor, changing the topic, “You look tired. Are you sure you don’t want to go to bed?” Clay realizes he never mentioned wanting to go to bed in the first place. Taking that as his cue to leave, he stands up and puts his hand out, ‘what the fuck are you doing?’ 

“Alright well I’m gonna head to bed I guess,” Clay stiffles out a small laugh.

“That’s not what I meant! Your eyes are just kinda red,” George says while simultaneously putting two and two together, “Oh Nick, you were with Nick, oh, sorry, I didn’t, that was dumb of me, please sit, you can stay.” 

Clay hesitantly takes his seat, his mouth dries up from the weed and the images of the small brunette boy standing in front of his mirror. Images that won’t stop replaying themselves in his head. The boy in front of him, currently in simple oversized clothes, is the same one who just minutes ago looked like something out of the fantasies stored in the darkest parts of Clay’s mind. 

George brings him out of his thoughts as he remarks on Clay’s earlier adventures, “So how was Sapnap,” he asks, pronouncing Nick’s name with a certain level of confusion, “did you guys have fun?”

“Lots,” Dream smirks to him, “If you ever want to join, I’m just a text away.”

George’s eyes glimmer with something that reminds Clay of hope. 

“I’d like that, a lot,” Clay’s not sure if George means the smoking part or the hanging out with his friends part. He presumes it’s not the latter, and with that thought an offer comes to mind. 

“Would you want to go to my room to smoke? I can show you my setup, and now that I’ve been in your room properly, it’s only fair that you see mine,” Clay opens the lighter,

“Yeah I’d like that, a lot,” George flicks the flame to life. 

The two men smile at each other, George hoisting himself off his bean bag before reaching out to help Clay out of his chair.

“I feel like I’m the one that should have helped you,” Clay admits.

“And why’s that?” George inquires. 

“I’m the one who suggested we leave and all,” Dream scoffs. ‘I want to help you, I want to protect you’

George nods slowly before grabbing Dream’s wrist and pulling him to his feet. Clay looks into George’s eyes for a moment too long. Looking away, George starts out of his room and turns the corner before realizing there’s no one following him. Peeking his head back in the doorway he mutters a quiet, “you coming or what?” Clay is snapped out of whatever hypnosis he’s in, before walking out of George’s room and following him down the hallway. 

Shutting the door behind him, Clay rummages in his dresser drawer before pulling out his dab pen. He contemplates handing it to George first, but decides George may have never used one and he couldn’t afford having another awkward moment with the brunette. Deeply inhaling, he makes eye contact with the shorter boy now sitting on the edge of his bed. As he exhales he grins to the man, trying to communicate whatever he’s feeling without having to say it. 

He holds the pen out to George, who gladly accepts. With the slightest shake in his hands, George presses down on the silver button and takes a light hit. He manages to hold it in for a few seconds before erupting in a cough with a large cloud of smoke appearing right after. The coughing subsides after around ten seconds and George offers Clay a sheepish look holding the pen back out to him. 

Dream takes a short hit, holding it in long enough for little to no smoke to be left when he exhales. 

“How do you guys do it? Doesn’t it hurt?” George asks shyly. 

Bringing the pen up to his mouth he shoots George a quick, “breath in when I tell you,” and George’s face blooms into a hue of red Clay didn’t know exists . 

Dream takes a long hit, and does his best to not inhale any of it. Promptly, he stands up, walks over the edge of his twin sized bed, lifts George’s chin and leans down to the brunette’s lips. 

“Breath,” Dream barely whispers before letting all of the smoke into George’s mouth. 

This time George doesn’t cough. Instead he exhales back into Dream’s mouth, a mouth that hasn’t stopped hovering over his. Dream gladly accepts the smoke back into his own and stands up straight, heading back to his original position. It’s obvious that neither of the boys are sure what to do next, Dream opening and closing his mouth repeatedly trying to find words that won’t appear. 

Surprisingly George is the first one to speak up, “Can we do that again?” a simple question with a million behind it. 

Clearing his throat, Clay lifts himself from his chair, and takes a few hesitant steps in George’s direction. Repeating the same motion as before, he exhales a cloud into the short boy’s lips. 

“Like that?” Dream breaths out, still just inches from their lips making contact.

“Just like that.”

Dream chokes on air as the brunette looks up with him with the biggest, brightest doe eyes imaginable. 

‘Kiss him, fucking kiss him, lean in, kiss him,,, you don’t even know if he’s gay,,, He was wearing a skirt earlier,,, that doesn’t mean anything’

Not allowed much time to think, Clay feels a pair of lips on his cheek.  
“Thank you,” is all that comes out of George’s mouth.

Clay can’t feel a single muscle in his body. Regaining composure, he stands up straight and coughs quietly, “For what?”

“You’re just... I didn’t expect you to be so willing to be my friend,” the brunette admits, “You and your friends have just been really nice to me, so yeah, thank you.”

Clay scoffs and tries to read whatever is plastered on George’s face. He’s pretty sure he blacked out when the word “friend” was uttered. 

“Yeah of course, they all seem to really like you, as do I,” Clay tells the boy, hoping George gets the hint. Being the worst hint on the planet, of course he doesn’t. 

“Good to know. I think I got a little too high, I’m gonna head to bed I think,” George explains with soft eyes. 

“Yeah of course, I’m sorry if I got you a little too faded,” the blonde starts to apologize before being cut off by George, “You didn’t do anything Clay,” Dream could listen to George say his name all day, “I’m just sleepy, I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

“Do you want me to walk you to your room,” Clay asks gently, mentally slapping himself for even suggesting it, ‘he lives upstairs for god sake.’ 

“Oh, um, sure,” George nods shyly before he hops off of the blonde’s bed. 

The two make the ascent up the dorm stairs before standing in the doorway of George’s dorm. Both trying to read each other, neither one doing a very good job. In a moment of what some would call stupidity, other genius, Clay decides to return George’s favor. Leaning down he plants a small kiss on George’s tomato red cheek. 

“Goodnight... Goodnight Georgie,” and with that Clay nearly bolts downstairs to his room. George’s skin on Clay’s lips replays in his head for the next hour. He’s finally able to get some sleep after another one or two, or six hits of his pen. 

A loud banging on Clay’s door pulls him out of his sleep.

“It’s 7:15 nimrod, you slept in,” he hears Karl’s warm voice call out, quickly bringing him out of his slumber. The tall man pulls off his sweatpants and shirt before throwing on black jeans and a grey shirt. His signature green hoodie is stuffed into his backpack, picking up his phone and laptop, placing the latter in his bag, he rushes to grab his keys and get to school. A grinning Karl is the first thing he sees when he opens the wooden door. 

“Up and at ‘em, good boy,” Karl cringes at his comment, “wipe that from the transcript will ya?”

Clay’s weezing by now and nods his head with tears in his eyes, in between laughs he manages to get out, “Need to brush my hair and teeth, I’ll be ready in under ten.”

Karl, still looking embarrassed, gives him a nod before walking to sit on the couch in their common room. Clay hurries through his morning formalities, barely brushing his hair and teeth before throwing water on his face and walking out to meet his friend. The two manage to be the first ones waiting outside their dorms. Within ten minutes the rest of the group has shown up and they’re about to start their walk when they hear a door close behind them. George, looking disheveled and nervous is frantically zipping his backpack shut and almost sprints down the front lawn. The boys look at him with a concerned look before Tommy calls out, “Hey new kid!” Earning an elbow in the chest from Clay who mutters “George,” under his breath.

“Yeah! George! Wanna make this hell walk together?” Tommy offers, incredibly out of character. ‘What is happening to my friends and where are they being hidden?’ 

George’s face instantly brightens and Clay for once is happy to have the tall freshman around. George breaks out into something between a walk and jog to catch up with the boys. 

“How’d you sleep?” Clay says quietly to the boy now standing next to him.

“What do you think?” George grumbles. 

The taller lets out a light laugh before racing up to Sapnap and jumping on his back for a piggy back ride. The brunette manages to carry him halfway up the hill before he drops Dream off of his back.

“Okay, I’m done, I’m done, you need to lose a few Clay, I can barely carry you,” Sap mutters.

“No, you just need to get back in the weight room,” Dream says while socking Sapnap in the arm.

After a quick breakfast, Clay heads to his first period, AP Lang, with George by his side. They take a seat at the far back table sitting next to one another, Clay wishes they were close enough to touch. They’re pretty early so Clay decides to pull out his laptop and finish his US History homework. 

He’s halfway done with his essay due later that day when the bell rings, and Clay sees he hadn’t noticed the class fill up. He glances at George who’s pulling out a notebook and some pens. 

“Georgie, may I please borrow a pen,” Clay asks pleadingly to the other boy, “I forgot all of my pencils, I was rushed this morning.”

George quickly hands one to Clay, but the blonde is fairly certain he catches a blush on the shorter boy’s face. Pulling out his BLUE english notebook, Clay titles the next open page ‘October 28th,’ and starts to copy down what his teacher is writing on the board. The class flies by with George next to him, but Clay’s notes are almost completely empty, his head only being occupied by the thoughts of George in that ‘fucking skirt holy shit.’ Repeatedly having to calm himself down the boy instead tried to focus on football practice later that day. He and Nick would be having Schlatt watch their team’s dynamic, not yet wanting to put the man in. That was Clay’s decision. 

The bell ringing pulls Clay out of his thoughts, and he manages to make it through the rest of the day without thinking about the previous night. 

Nick and Clay are the first two to be in the locker room after school. That’s fairly typical as the boys jog immediately to the building after the final bell. They start changing as the rest of the team file in, but someone’s missing. 

Schlatt’s nearly twenty minutes late to practice and comes apologizing profusely. 

“I’m so sorry, I got caught up with the Dean, he needed me to answer a bunch of questions about my first week here, I’m really so sorry-” Schlatt’s cut off by Dream.

“Go get dressed. You have five minutes,” Dream starts his watch.

Schlatt breaks out in a sprint to the locker room, and while the rest of the team is finishing warm ups, Dream’s standing on the sidelines watching his timer. With 23 seconds left, Schlatt comes bursting out of the locker room in full athletic gear and cleats.

Dream doesn’t know how he feels that Schlatt made it. 

“Good shit, basic stretches, five laps, fast warmups. I’m going to be explaining the drills to the guys for the next twenty minutes, finish by the time I’m done with the boys, you’re just watching today, but I might throw you in for some of the basic stuff,” Dream informs the boy.

Some days Clay loves the control of being captain. He loves telling people exactly what to do and for them to do it exactly how he tells them to. But the days where he feels like he’s going to lose all of his friends, like today, he wishes he wouldn’t have applied for the position. 

Practice runs fairly smoothly, Clay includes Schlatt in a few drills, the boy being an easy addition to the team. Schlatt seems to understand every drill they run, never needing to be asked twice to do something.

Clay again isn’t quite sure how he feels about this. He likes the team dynamic how it is, he likes the way he and Nick banter during play and mess with one another while the rest of the team does drills. 

After practice Clay heads to his dorm to take a shower before getting on a discord call with Nick.

“So Halloween’s this weekend, what’s the plan?” Clay inquires. 

“I’m not sure, none of us really have costumes,” Nick sounds just as clueless as Clay. 

Pondering for a bit Clay finally comes up with costumes, “Do you have a button down shirt and a red tie,” he asks the boy.

“Yeah of course, what are you thinking?” 

“Harry Potter but the boys?” Clay suggests with a smirk.

“Honestly, I don’t hate it, add the rest of them, let’s figure this out,” Nick agrees after shrugging.

The two boys add the rest of their friend group and the group talks for a half hour before figuring out exactly what they were doing. Techno would go to the woods and grab sticks as wands for all the boys, it’s the best they could do with the time they had. Alex, Schlatt, and Clay are going as Slytherin students, Tommy and Nick will be in Gryffindor, Wilbur, Ranboo, and Technoblade will be in Ravenclaw, and Karl and Tubbo will be in Hufflepuff. 

“Okay now that that’s decided, I’m going to go get my homework done boys,” Clay signs off after a chorus of “goodbyes” from his friends. 

He has to finish his French, AP Lang, and Calculus homework. It was a lot but Clay always did pretty good in school. Although he often gets distracted he seems to manage to pull it off every semester. He finishes French fairly fast and goes onto AP Lang when he realizes he didn’t take any notes that day. ‘George.’ The shorter boy had taken notes Clay recalls so he decides to head upstairs and ask George if he could copy off of his notes. 

He arrives at the brunette’s dorm room less than two minutes later and gives a loud knock, and remembering the last time, he chooses to wait until George opens the door for him. He does, less than ten seconds after Clay arrives and gives the blonde a smile before asking, “What’s up?”

“Hey so I was super tired this morning and I didn’t take notes in AP Lang,” he confesses, “Could I possibly copy off of yours pretty please?” he asks, batting his eyes.

“Yes, but I’m also doing that homework, so can you just sit in here and copy down the notes onto your notebook,” the brunette suggests, as he nods towards the notebook in Clay’s hand.

“Yeah of course, thank you so much,” the blonde is incredibly grateful, and he’s pretty excited that he gets to spend time with the boy. 

The brunette takes a seat on his bed and he tells Clay he could sit at his desk. 

“But then how will we both see the notes,” the taller asks, kind of hoping he can convince George to sit on his lap.

“You can come and sit next to me and we could put the notes in the middle,” George gives a little bit more realistic suggestion. 

Clay sits down on the far side of the bed, notebook in lap looking down to the notes in between the two of them. George grabs a second sheet of paper from his backpack and writes down the homework prompt. 

Silence covers the room for twenty minutes before Clay asks if he can turn on music.

“Yeah of course,” the brunette responds while getting up to log onto his computer. Pulling up Spotify he gestures to Clay to choose what he wants. 

Clay looks up his own playlists and follows himself on George’s account. George lightly slaps his arm, the blonde looking at him with a grin. He puts on a chiller playlist, 505 by the Arctic Monkeys plays out from George’s speaker. 

The two go back to the bed and continue to do the work. They finish within the hour and Clay heads back downstairs. As he sits back down at his desk, he pulls up Spotify and follows George back. He looks through the boy’s playlists, he seems to have a different taste than Clay, but it wasn’t a bad taste. He sees one playlist filled with ABBA and Queen and smiles, definitely not a bad taste. Clay goes back to his own playlist and shuffles his newest playlist, proceeding to open up Minecraft. 

Logging onto the multiplayer world he sees Tommy and Ranboo are online. Frank Ocean plays softly through his computer and pulls him into a trance. Running through the world he imagines George there with him. He wishes he could finally be honest with himself and his friends. Wishes he could come to terms that his friends will still love him. Tears spill out down his cheeks and it takes him several minutes to bring himself out of his chair. He walks out of his room and down the hall to Karl’s. Clay knocks a few times before hearing Karl tell him to come in.

The smile on the smaller boy’s face immediately disappears when he sees the man’s tear stained cheeks. 

“What’s wrong Clay?” Karl asks worryingly, a rare occurrence for him to use the blonde’s actual name. 

“Can I shut and lock the door please?”

“Yeah, yeah, of course, come sit on my bed,” the brunette tells Clay.

They sit down together, Clay sniffling and letting a few more tears drop before looking at Karl.

“Hey so I like guys..”

“That’s cool,” the shorter boy says before being enveloped in a hug from Clay. 

“Please don’t tell anyone,” Clay asks with soft eyes.

“I would never,” Karl reassures him, “Take your time, you don’t need to tell anyone anytime soon, we’re just vibing.”

“I’m in love with George,” he confesses quietly.

“Okay. That’s, yeah, that’s a thing,” Karl searches for advice but can’t find any. 

“Yeah, I probably am just going to wait that one out,” Clay adds softly.

“It’s obvious you don’t exactly know what to do, with a few different things, how about we focus on something smaller, like Halloween!” Karl suggests.

“Yeah, okay, Halloween, I could ask George if he would want to come with our group? If that’s okay with you guys?” 

Karl assures Clay that he’s positive the boys will be fine with it. They all seem to get along with the new boy fairly well. Apparently George and Techno are in Spanish together and are working on a project for it. Clay pulls out his phone to send a quick text to George.

-Do you have plans for Halloween yet? Me and my friends are all gonna be Hogwarts students. Wanna join? 

Within a minute of sending the text his phone dings.

-yeah i’d love that, is ravenclaw taken?

-It’ll be the one with the most people but that’s totally fine :) I didn’t know you were a Ravenclaw. 

-well ur definitely a slytherin 

-That obvious?

-hate to break it to you...

Clay laughs at the interaction before telling the boy all he needs is a button down shirt and a blue tie. 

-you guys aren’t that creative. wands ?? 

-Techno is collecting sticks....

-u guys suck, well im gonna get to bed soon

-Be outside at 7:40 so you can walk with us

-gn clay :)

Clay turns off his phone after sending a quick goodnight to the boy. He turns to Karl and smiles.

“He’s in,” the blonde’s heart rate has settled and all that’s left from his panic earlier are tear stained cheeks. He knows he’ll have to truly come to terms with his sexuality soon, but for now he just wants to feel excited about George joining their Halloween plans. 

Karl seems to have noticed the shift in Clay’s mood so he pulls up Minecraft and asks the boy if he wants to play.

“We can just sit here and talk, or you could go to your PC and we can just call through discord,” Karl suggests.

Clay likes the idea and agrees, heading back to his room to log back onto his computer. The two talk for a while while playing on the server. They both head to bed after a few hours, and Clay is stuck with his thoughts again, his head mostly fills with George. 

Drifting off to sleep Clay dreams of the small brunette boy, back in his maroon skirt, sitting on the side of the football fields while Clay plays the best game of his life. He wakes up in the best mood of his life. Checking the clock, it reads 6:34, he has time to get ready today. 

It takes him a while to pick out his outfit that day, finally settling on a black pair of Dickies, a white loose fitting t-shirt, and black doc martens. He wears his hair up today, it’s getting a little cooler, but Florida never gets below 60 anyways. 

He takes his time in the bathroom, spending a decent amount of time just staring at himself. He’s got two days until Halloween and three days until their first football game. Chills run down his back as he thinks about the hangover he’s going to have that morning. He’s excited for the annual party, but having an actual level of responsibility this year, has him quite nervous. 

Nick is constantly the life of the party, Clay always clinging close to him. It’s a rare occurrence to see the boys without one another. 

When it’s finally time for Clay to meet up with his friends, he sees Karl trudge out of his room at the slowest pace Clay has ever seen the brunette go. George, Nick, and Wilbur are already outside waiting for the rest of the boys.

The next few two days pass in a blur, the only notable thing happens Thursday at practice. Sapnap is changing when one of their teammates points out scratch marks down his back. Clay can see Nick freeze up before smirking and talking about some cheerleader from “last night.” Sap doesn’t look at Dream once when he talks about her.

Friday morning Clay opens his friend’s group chat to see a long text from Wilbur reminding everyone to wear their costumes and bring their “wands” that Techno had collected. Dream throws on black slacks, a white button down, and a forest green tie. He starts to slick back his hair when Karl knocks on the bathroom door asking if he can come in. The shorter boy walks in with a similar outfit, except his pants are tan and his tie is a mustard yellow. 

“How do I look?” Karl questions. 

“You’re gonna pull hella tonight,” Clay assures Karl who turns red before scoffing and rolling his eyes. 

“Never,” the brunette laughs softly before the boys hear another knock on the door. This time George enters with a dark blue tie wrapped loosely around his neck, the top few buttons of his shirt undone, his lips bright pink and plump. 

“Morning George, a Ravenclaw, hm?” Karl strikes up a conversation with the boy. 

“Yeah,” George responds with a smile.

Clay wants to throw Karl out of the bathroom and kiss the boy long and hard. He thinks he sees the exact moment Karl remembers the conversation he and Clay had earlier that week. The blue eyed boy looks to Clay with a grin on his face.

“Hey stay here I’ll be right back I just need to run to my room,” Karl sneaks past George, leaving the two boys alone to stare at each other.

“H-Hi,” George stutters out, he seems the most nervous he’s ever been around Clay, “Are you hosting the party tonight?”

“Yeah,” the taller smirks down to the smaller boy, before softening into a warm smile when he realizes just how nervous the brunette looks, “You can stick with me, if you want.”

“Okay, yeah, that’d be nice,” the small man smiles to Clay. 

Karl comes back with his backpack and looks to the two boys, “Hey we need to get going lovebirds.”

George tenses up at the statement and Clay’s eyes nearly pop out of his head. 

“Shut. Up,” Dream stares the shorter boy down before the three head out to the common room. He just laughs as they head out the front door. They spot Tommy, Tubbo, and Ranboo already waiting, and just moments later the rest of the senior boys walk out to the front yard. They all look rather good in their matching outfits. 

The three freshmen boys pester the seniors to let them come to their party the entire way up.

“No way, when you’re older,” Wilbur comments to Tommy in particular.

“I am older,” the blonde groans.

“You’ll be the one hosting them one day, you know that?” Nick tries to appeal to the boys’ egos, “You’ll follow in our footsteps, that I’m sure of.”

And at that the three boys shut up. Nick’s pandering seems to have worked, at least for now. 

Most of the students are in costume. It’s pretty typical for them. Halloween is almost everyone’s favorite holiday around the school. Nick tells the rest of the group to get the word out about the party to the senior class, but to keep it as quiet as possible. They technically need to keep it a secret, although the staff don’t enforce curfew on Halloween. This year Techno and Wilbur had cleared a path to an area in the woods with a firepit and apparently a large boulder that they can climb up on. It was a step down from last year, but they had gotten caught and needed to be more secluded this time around. 

The day passes in a flash, Dream tells CJ and Mackenzie the location of the party and also informs them to pass it on to their friends. The group of four are dressed head to toe in pink, and CJ informs the blonde that they’re the Mean Girls cast. He thinks it’s a funny concept. 

The boys have practice off today for the holiday. Nick, Techno, Wilbur, and Clay head to the woods straight after class to set up. Techno’s from the area so his older sister dropped alcohol off to the boys the night before. It had cost the guys nearly 200 dollars, but ‘it’s going to be worth it.’ 

Three hours later the rest of their friends arrive at the scene. They still have two hours until nightfall so as a celebration the boys each open a beer. 

“Clay, shotgun this with me,” Sapnap challenges the blonde, and never being one to back down, Clay just grabs his keys from his slack’s pocket. 

The two boys exchange a smirk before tilting the beers on their sides, leaning their heads back, and racing one another to the finish. Nick easily beats Clay by at least three seconds, but the two just laugh as they throw the cans to the ground. Clay turns to see George staring him down, face red. 

The hours pass, the boys down several more beers before their classmates start to pile in. Only upperclassmen are invited, as the least they could do is avoid having some 14 year old piss drunk on their hands. Parker and her friends arrive first, CJ going to talk to Sap and the rest of the girls head in Alex’s direction to talk about a smoke sesh. Clay slowly wanders in George’s direction, not necessarily purposefully, his subconscious taking over and carrying his body towards the brunette. More students pour in, most in costume, some just wearing their football jersey or cheer uniform. Techno grabs two speakers and hands them to Nick who links them up to his phone. Clay can feel the low bass from Nick’s rap music in his chest. 

“Hey George, how are you feeling?” Clay’s words are ever so slightly slurred, he’s tipsy, nothing he can’t handle. The blonde knows the shorter man hasn’t been drinking much, he’s kept him in his peripheral the entire time.

“I’m good, I’m good, I was hoping to go find Alex and ask to smoke if you think that maybe could possibly be a hypothetical thing that could happen?” George gives the boy a wide smile. 

Dream gives him a wink before jogging over to Quackity.

“Hey how much for you to roll me a joint right now Quack? Kinda an emergency pretty please,” he nearly begs.

“For you? No charge my man,” Alex responds with a grin, and Clay is forever grateful for his friends.

He returns to George within five minutes with a joint tucked behind his ear. George blushes and nods at the blonde. Wilbur had told Clay how to get onto the boulder next to the campfire. The two boys take a few minutes to climb up the rocky path and Clay offers his hand to George multiple times. Everytime they touch Clay’s heart feels like it may stop and go into overdrive simultaneously. The two get to the top of the rock before Dream realizes he’s missing a lighter. He whistles down to the party loudly twice, Nick’s head immediately snaps up to them. Signaling him that he needs a lighter, Nick throws one perfectly to the blonde and Clay’s reminded of just why Nick’s the star quarterback, drunk and slightly high and still making dime passes. The boy yells a “thank you” before he boldly takes the joint out from behind his ear and places it in the brunette’s mouth.

“Breathe,” he instructs, reminding both boys of the night they shared in Clay’s room. 

A bright flame erupts from the small red lighter and George takes a deep breath. He’s definitely gotten more comfortable smoking since starting a month before. Clay pulls the lighter away and George takes a few hits before passing it to the taller man. They start wandering away from the front of the boulder, heading down the back to explore the woods. There isn’t much light but Clay assures the boy he’ll use his phone's flashlight if he gets scared. 

“Can we sit down for a moment, I’m kinda feeling, w-wobbly,” George giggles. 

“Yeah of course,” Clay wishes he had some kind of jacket to put down for George, he contemplates taking off his shirt as it’s around 70°F, ‘that’s probably a bit far.’ Instead they opt to sit on a patch of grass below a tree. Dream leans back against the bark. Arms propped up by his knees folded and spread slightly, he holds the joint in his mouth before asking the brunette if he wants any more. Surprisingly the shorter man accepts.

“You know you don’t have to,” Clay reassures him.

“I want to, I just was a bit hot, needed to sit,” George smiles at him. He’s sat on his knees looking prettier than ever. His tie and shirt look better than they did that morning, but Clay kind of misses how the boy looked, disheveled yet precious. 

“Do you want to go change? We can go to our dorm for a minute, the party will last till like three AM, it’s the one night of year dorm parents just simply ignore curfew,” Clay suggests.

“Actually yeah I’d like that a lot, I just want to put a shirt on under this in case,” and with that the two boy start to head back to the party. George is the one who finishes the joint this time, putting the ember out on a rock. 

A$AP Rocky’s voice fills Clay’s head as they make their way through the crowd of people, Clay telling the first friend he sees, Wilbur, about his plan. Wilbur smiles and nods his head turning back to someone the blonde isn’t expecting, NIki. Clay’s eyes are red and glassy as he smiles at the girl, it’s obvious that she knows he’s high and it looks as if she may be too. As Clay leads George out of the woods and back to the dorm, they walk in thick silence, not wanting anyone to see the two. 

George looks nervous as they get close to the dorm so Clay has the idea to go through his window. George fits with ease, Clay needs a minute but manages to get in fairly quietly. 

“Can you walk me up to my dorm?” George looks nervous again as they stand in Clay’s doorway. The brunette’s eyes are low, he tilts his head up so he’s looking directly into Clay’s red ones. 

“Yeah of course, lead the way?” 

“I can, yeah,” George turns, Clay close behind, who closes his own door, and the two head up to George’s room before realizing that Clay will have to stay in the hallway while the shorter changes. 

“You could just turn around while I change, you know, so you don’t get caught I mean,” the brunette not so subtly asks as they arrive at George's room. 

Instead of being nervous, for once, Clay is just thrilled to be around George.

“Yeah that works.”

Clay closes the door behind him as they walk inside. They’re both incredibly high and aware that the other is as well. The blonde starts wandering through the other boy’s room, looking at his decorations, occasionally opening something. He arrives at the younger boy’s dresser when the brunette gets between him and the wooden furniture. 

“So, I’m gonna change.”

“Aw Georgie, what don’t you want me to see,” Dream turns on his charm, and leans down to the smaller boy’s ear, “It’s okay, we all have secrets.”

While George is frozen, Clay swaps the positions of the two boys, lifting George by his waist. As he turns back around to grab a drawer he’s stopped by a pull on both of his biceps. 

“Fine! Just... um... third drawer,” George finally admits while placing his forehead to Clay’s back. 

“George I won’t do it if you really don’t want me to, I was just messing with you,” Clay momentarily pauses. 

“No it’s, it’s okay you can, I want you to know my secrets,” the brunette barely whispers.

Dream grabs ahold of the wooden knob before he pulls it open slowly. Inside is maybe a dozen different colored pieces of fabric, one looking particularly familiar. Skirts. 

“Can you put one on?” spills out of the tall man’s mouth before he can stop himself. His head and mouth are stuffed with cotton from his high and he can’t resist. 

“Which one Clay?” the brunette places a hand on the man’s back, forehead still pressed in between his shoulder blades. 

A lime green one catches his eye, the blonde’s favorite color. Grabbing it harshly he turns around looking down, not daring to make eye contact with George, “This one.”

He moves towards the doorway continuing to face away from the shorter. He hears a belt being undone, a zipper being unzipped, and then something strange. For the second time that night, a drawer opens and a second piece of fabric is taken from his body and placed in the drawer, and then a third piece falls to the ground. Thirty seconds later he hears a small, “you can turn around.” 

The blonde’s body is numb as he turns around to meet George. The shorter boy’s button down has been tucked into the skirt and his tie is discarded on the floor. 

“Can I touch it? The skirt I mean,” Clay’s eyes meet the angel’s in front of him. 

“Of course,” George’s eyes are low, Clay can’t tell if the brunette is blushing under his LED lights, but if he had to, he would bet all his money on red. 

Clay slowly wanders to the small boy before he reaches out for the edge of the skirt. It’s soft against Clay’s finger tips, and he wants to ball it up in his hand, so... he does. He grabs a fist full of the fabric, pulling the brunette close to him, his other hand wrapping around George’s waist.  
“Hi,” is all the taller man can muster out, “I know we’re both high but I just want to say that you’re-”

“Kiss me,” squeaks George.

“Yeah, yeah, okay, yeah,” Clay sputters out before he crashes his lips against the small boy.


	4. Football

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fall continues with the first football game of the season. Clay is rethinking who he is as a person. George and Nick are hiding secrets. The gang hangs out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> would like to make a note that I do use a slur in this chapter, but I use it as British slang, it's just important that I use that version of the word for the storyline (I'm sorry that was pretty vague, it's just hard to explain)

It takes thirty minutes of convincing, but Clay finally gets George to wear the skirt back to the party. He holds the short man around the waist, the blonde leads him to Niki and Wilbur. The tall man gives Clay a surprised look before a thumbs up. Clay decides he needs to talk to Nick before anyone when they return. The hickey on Dream’s neck is more obvious next to the campfire than it was in the boys’ dorm. 

He uses his hand to cover it up while he walks up to Sapnap. 

“Hey bro can you come here really quick?” he beckons to the brunette. The shorter follow him down to the bottom of the rock, “I need to tell you something, because something happened, and I can’t avoid it anymore, and I just don’t want this thing to change anything.”

“Okay... well if that isn’t the vaguest sentence possible.”

“I’m gay.”

“That’s...yeah...cool,” Nick looks at the man for a few seconds as if he wants to say something before he breaks out into a smile when Clay removes the hand on his neck. The shorter man lets out into a loud whoop and tackles the blonde, “My boy, I’m so proud of you, finally not alone, good shit, good shit, so George huh?” 

“Yeah, he’s actually here, he changed...” Clay winks to the smaller man who looks confused, “Come on, I’ll show you what I mean.” The two men get halfway before they hear loud screams from the party. They share a glance before breaking out into sprints. Wilbur is standing over one of the junior boys, who’s got blood splattered across his nose. Niki and George are holding onto each other. When the tallest of the men notices the boys he gives them an apologetic smile before gesturing to George. Clay rushes to the brunette who looks shaken up.

“This is all my fault, I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have left,” Clay apologizes profusely before George leans up to whisper in the blonde’s ear.

“It’s okay, can we just go back to your room?” George has tears in his eyes. 

The older boy grabs a hold of his wrist and on the way out he hears a few mumbles of “look at his neck.” He feels his face heat up, he’s getting angrier by the second. 

Once again, the two boys walk in silence to the dorms, this time they walk up the fire escape, down the hall, and into George’s room. Clay locks the door behind them and grabs George’s wrist, pulling him into a hug. He can feel the brunette’s soft hair on the bottom of his chin. Eventually Clay lets go, pulling the small boy onto the bed where they lay together for a long time. 

Clay’s hands start to wander up George’s skirt after a half hour of wholesome touches. The blonde hears the boy’s breath hitch. He presses a light kiss to the top of the shorter’s head, after which he continues to drag his hand farther up the boy’s soft skin. Clay is reaching for something he can’t find when he hears a small giggle escape through the smaller boy’s lips. 

“What’s so funny baby?”

At the nickname George stops giggling and buries his head in the crook of the blonde man’s neck.

“You’re not going to find them that low you know?” 

Clay knows what George is talking about but he can’t figure out what he exactly means by his statement. His hands continue their journey up the pale smooth skin. Clay thinks the shorter man has decided to not wear any underwear at all, but quickly shuts his mouth when he feels lace at the boy's hip bone.

Clay grabs the boy’s face and kisses him as long as he can that time. They stay like that for a while, light touches turning heavy. Clay feels the boy melt into him, the weed turning his eyelids droopy. 

George wakes first, neck littered in dark red marks, he momentarily forgets why his blanket is so heavy. As he comes to his senses, he figures out what’s woken him up, a loud repetitive knock at the door, followed by a, “George! Have you seen Clay, it’s only 1 and he needs to get back to the party!”

Peering out the window, the shorter boy sees that only an hour must have passed since the two fell asleep, and proceeds to let out a weak, “yeah, I saw him heading out earlier but he must’ve gone somewhere else.”

After hearing a thank you from the boys he shakes the blonde until a low, “What the fuck,” is uttered from the tall man’s lips. 

“It’s only like one AM, we’ve only been out for an hour but your friends are looking for you, said they need you at the party, I told them I saw you leave earlier but wasn’t sure where you went, now up.”

George changes back into his pants from the day, not wanting to have to deal with any more of the assholes at their party. 

The boys head back separately, George walks over first, receiving several large gasps from his friends, all staring straight at his neck. He notices Clay sauntering in moments later.

The blonde is met with a variety of cheers the main being, “Where the fuck have you been?”

“Matching with George I see?” Clay hears a small voice from beneath him and turns to look down at (am I reading this shit right) Tubbo. Clay can’t find the words for a comeback, so he opts for laughing with the young boy. 

“So he does talk,” mutters Schlatt behind the two before ruffling Tubbo’s hair. Schlatt wanders in Nick and Wilbur’s direction leaving the blonde with the freshman.

“You know they don't care? I sure don’t. You seem, and I know I haven’t known you long, but you seem alive Clay,” Tubbo lets out the longest sentence Clay thinks he’s ever heard him say.

“Wait, what the fuck are you doing here? You’re like the last person that’s supposed to be here,” Clay remarks before Tubbo explains to the taller, “Wilbur couldn’t stand not having us here, what a loser,” before letting out a laugh and pointing to a tall blonde in the crowd. 

“Oh shit, I have to go Tubbo, I’m so sorry, Ranboo will be pissed if I don’t get him now,” Dream starts to rush off before a familiar face is in front of him.

“Fuck you Dream,” Ranboo stands grinning in front of the man, “I’m just playing with you, looks like you’ve had a good night.”

The two boys throw fake punches at each other for a few minutes before a small voice appears.

“Hey guys, could I borrow Clay for a minute?” and at that, Ranboo sees George’s neck and goes wide eyed. 

A chorus of yeah’s are all it takes for Clay to be excused from the conversation. The two boys make their way through the crowd before settling near a tree on the outskirts of the party. The brunette’s face is looking to the ground when he starts to speak. 

“You know I like you? Like a lot...” George lets out, the tone in his voice alone worries Clay.

“I would hope so,” the taller jokes, grabbing the back of the smaller’s neck to trace a finger on one of the various purple marks. 

“But,”

“But? There was a but?”

“But we can’t be like, well like this,” hearing a crack in the small boy’s voice, Clay engulfed him in a hug, “I, I-I can’t be like this.” 

The blonde thinks he understands what George is trying to say, the exact same thing Clay says to himself every night. Simply not ready to face the truth. 

“Okay... that’s okay, we don’t need to be anything you don’t want to be,” he whispers into the shorter boy’s hair, “We can just hang out? Nothing needs to be decided now.”

Out of his peripheral Clay can see people starting to take notice of the boys holding each other. He’s sure the marks on their necks aren’t helping. He pulls away just enough to grab George’s shoulders.

“Can you kiss me?” is all George manages out.

The blonde pushes hard against the man, gasps erupting from the people that can see them. He hears the distinct shouts of his friend group, all whooping and hollering for the boy. Apparently something is decided now. 

His heart rate is building at a dangerous speed, he can’t have people seeing this, this isn’t how it was supposed to happen. Fear building in his chest, he tries his best to block out the murmurs of the group of students, now all eyes on the two men. 

“What the fuck? When did this happen? Are you seeing this?,” he hears come out of a squeaky voiced blonde. 

When they finally pull away, Clay sees Wilbur and Techno fistbump and what looks like a twenty dollar bill is passed to Techno. The two boys notice the man watching the interaction and both give him a nod of encouragement. It’s obvious to the blonde that his friends are trying to be encouraging, but a speech from Oprah couldn’t drag him out of the fear seeping from his throat to his stomach. With wobbling legs, both men start in the direction of the party, the crowd parting like the Red Sea for the two.

Nick’s the first to say something when the two finally find their group. 

“So that was dramatic,” he comments before receiving punches from the three freshman standing a few feet back, “Hey! Hey! Cool it midgets.”

“I’m literally like 8 inches taller than you,” Ranboo snaps back.

“Yeah, and where do you think those 8 inches went?” the brunette smirks as his friends groan in disgust. 

“I truly do hate you,” Wilbur says, turning to the two boys now standing hand in hand, “Proud of you bud,” it’s obvious the tall man is drunk, slightly leaning on the same pink haired girl he was with earlier. Clay gives her a small smile as she’s beaming up to him.

In the softest voice Clay thinks he’s ever heard, “I’m proud of you, that takes balls,” comes from the girl’s mouth. The group around them laughs at the comment before they start to disperse leaving George and Clay alone. 

“I know you said we didn’t need to decide on anything, I just couldn’t help it,” the brunette confesses, both acknowledging that things were getting more complicated by the second. Clay can’t seem to find words in his mouth, he can’t speak, he can’t breath for that matter. 

“I need to go, I’m sorry, I’ll be back, I promise,” Clay knows he’s lying to the man’s face and hates himself for it.

“Oh, okay, yeah, just call me if you need anything,” it’s obvious Clay’s statement crushes the boy.

Clay takes off, leaving the brunette to be found by a confused Nick.

SLIGHT POV SHIFT, NOT REALLY, IM JUST GOING TO FOLLOW BOTH GEORGE AND DREAM INSTEAD OF JUST DREAM FOR THE NEXT BIT

“Where’s he off to?” and the moment the question falls from his lips, George breaks out crying, “George, what happened? Are you okay?” Nick holds the man for a bit before they walk into the woods. 

“You don’t need to talk about it if you don’t want,” Nick’s cut off by the shorter man, “I think I pushed Clay too far.”

“Okay... can I ask about what?”

“I asked him to kiss me because I was nervous, and then he just ran off right after. Actually, he runs off every time he sees me in public, and I always have to initiate things,” he explains, voice cracking at the end of the sentence, “I just want someone that will take care of me.”

Nick is pretty sure he’s talking about Clay, but there’s a hint of something else in George’s voice.

The two take a seat on the far side of the boulder, the two’s knees touching. George yawns before lying on his back, Nick shortly follows suit. Silence falls over the two before Nick asks, “How did you know?”

“I feel like I’m the wrong person for you to be asking.”

Dream breaks out into a sprint once he knows he’s out of George’s vision. ‘This isn’t how they were supposed to find out, They weren’t supposed to know.” 

Auto pilot kicks in for the boy once again, his feet seem to have a plan to where they want him ending up. He falls to the wooden surface of the bridge after running for nearly ten minutes. 

“Clay?” he hears a thick voice call out. His neck snaps up nearly giving him whiplash, being met eye to eye with a purple haired girl, “What the fuck are you doing out here? You okay big man?”

“Yeah, um, sorry, I thought this place would be empty.”

“I can leave, I was just going out for a fag,”

“What the fuck did you just call me?”

“Oh sorry, what do you Americans call them? Cigarettes,” Minx retracts her previous statement.

Clay’s heart rate steadies, “Oh yeah, you’re Irish aren’t you? When did you get here?”

“Yup, moved to the states a few months ago. Not quite sure how to feel about this place...” Minx seems to not want to talk so Clay just nods his head.

The girl continues after a few moments, “Yeah sorry, I’ll just head out, have a good one Dream.”

“No, wait, stay, if you want,” Clay gives the girl a small smile before she laughs loudly and grins to the boy, “Yeah okay I’ll stay,” as she sits on the hard ground with Clay she notices his neck, “What leech attacked you?”

He freezes at the question not sure if honesty is the best option..

“You don’t need to tell me, but I can keep a secret,” Minx does her best to reassure the boy.

Admitting to the girl Clay stares at the ground while the words pour out, “It’s not that it’s a secret, it’s actually the opposite, I just wish it was a secret.”

“Okay... so you slept with a girl and she told her friends?” Minx says, and Clay hears a hint of mockery in her voice.

“More like I kissed George in front of like half the party and I wasn’t ready to come out to everyone,” Clay gives her a harsher tone this time.

“Oh... shit, well, you could always tell people you were drunk?”

“That would fucking crush George.”

Minx pulls out a lighter and a pack of cigarettes before holding it out to Clay, he takes it, a thankful look on his face. Minx just rolls her eyes and tosses the lighter to the boy, “Don’t thank me too much,” she says while scoffing. 

They enjoy their cigarettes in a peaceful silence, neither wanting to speak, or have the other one to start talking for that matter. After a bit, the girl suggests that Clay goes and talks to George.

“You can’t leave it at that, you need to go talk to him,” Minx encourages the boy before nudging his shin with her shoes.

‘She’s right’ 

“You’re right, and I know you are, that just seems like it’s really hard,” the girl nods her head as Clay explains. He knows she understands what he’s going through, but she also just didn’t come out to her entire school while most of them were drunk. Drunk. Clay wants to get drunk. “Okay yeah I’m going to head back to the party, thank you for this.”

“Of course, just don’t expect it again,” she grins, winking at him. 

He laughs before turning and jogs back to the party. He thinks he hears her say something but he’s too far away to make out anything.

George and Nick are on their way back to the party when they see Quackity and Karl arguing. 

“Why can’t you just leave me alone about it?” Karl nearly screams, “If I want to deal with it, I will.”

“Hey, hey, you two, break it up,” Sapnap ushers over to the boys, it seems to work, both boys shut up when they see the man, “What the fuck happened?”

“Nothing,” and “It doesn’t matter,” fall out of the boys’ mouths. 

“Okay Karl, why does it not matter’?” 

“Cause nothing is going to happen, like what Alex said,” Karl explains, it’s obvious he’s upset with Quackity, as he almost always calls the boy by his nickname.

“Yeah, it’s nothing Sapnap, can we just move on?” 

“I guess, just get along, and if you can’t, solve this on a night that isn’t tonight.”

George and Nick continue back to the party, finding an incredibly drunk Wilbur laying on the ground, Niki sat down next to him making sure he’s responsive and not, well, dead. 

“Is he good?” George checks with the pink haired girl.

“Yes I am!” shouts the very intoxicated man. 

“Sorry... he’s just, he’s just being loud,” Niki tries to apologize but George brushes it off, “You’re fine, he’s funny,” he reassures the girl.

The two smile at each other before Wilbur looks up to George, “Why did Clay fuck up your neck so bad dude? That’s like, wow,” George blushes at the statement and Niki shushes Wilbur, giving him a cup of water to drink, mainly to shut him up.

The two brunettes head over to the younger boys of the party, all huddled towards the edge, all look like they’re having some fun. 

“What are you idiots doing?” Sapnap prompts the boys. 

“Nothing,” the three say in unison, all turning around to face the older boys. It’s ironic, two of the three freshman being taller than both seniors, looking down on them while mentally looking up. 

The older boys leave them alone, they don’t even care what they do, it’s neither of their problems, they’re Wilbur’s and Dream’s problems.

Clay comes rushing back, his face flushed a deep red. He finds George and Nick walking away from their freshman friends. He catches his breath before walking up to the boys.

“Hey, I need to talk to you, can we go?” Clay says as soon as George notices him.

“Yes.”

The two walk, this time with distance between one another, back to the dorm. Too tired to care about getting caught, the boys head through the front door, and as George is about to walk up the stairs to his room, Clay grabs his wrist.

“I need to talk to you,” Clay reminds him.

“I know, I’ll be right back, just let me do something.”

Clay feels like he’s being lied to, but he makes his way to his room and collapses into his gaming chair. Tears start to brim at his eyes before he hits his desk a few times and calms himself. After the third time repeating this technique, a knock comes from behind him.

“Oh, yeah, come in,” he’s expecting George, but not like this. Not in one of Clay’s hoodies and what looks like nothing else, “Please come here, and lock the door behind you,” he decides to add.

George does as Clay tells him and when he arrives in front of the tall blonde boy he’s swiftly pulled into the boy’s lap.

“I’m sorry I ran off earlier. I needed to think, I should’ve just talked to you, I’m sorry Georgie,” he looks earnestly deep into the other boys’ eyes, “I just, sometimes I’m not ready to be honest with myself, and that’s not your fault and I shouldn’t be putting that on you.” He leans his forehead onto George’s chest, wrapping his arms around the man’s waist. 

“Clay,” George lifts the blonde’s head up to look at him, “Please don’t be sorry, I shouldn’t have asked you to kiss me in front of all those people.” 

“I loved kissing you.”

“But not in front of others,” George adds and Clay has to admit to himself that the boy is right. 

“I guess yeah, but it’s not because of you, I don’t like kissing anyone in public,” that’s a little bit of a lie and Clay knows it. He never had a problem kissing his girlfriends in public, except they didn’t feel like George. 

“You don’t like kissing any boys in public Clay, stop trying to dodge around the truth, you can be honest with me,” he can see anger come to George’s face. 

“George, I like you, so much, you make me,” he runs his hands down the boy’s sides, “you make me feel things I’ve never felt before, and I love it.” 

“Okay. I just need you to be honest with me, you didn’t need to kiss me you know?” George remarks. Clay knows that, but he also knows he would have felt worse if he wouldn’t had.

One of Clay’s hands runs down to the smaller boy’s thigh, and on the way back up, he tucks it beneath the thick sweatshirt material. 

“Where did you get this? I don’t remember leaving it in your room.”

George’s face turns red before confessing, “It was in your backpack...”

“And Georgie,” the brunette turning even redder at the nickname, “what were you doing in my backpack?” 

“I was going to put my skirt in there, but I thought this was an even better idea,” the boy tucking his head into the crook of Clay’s neck while he murmurs the statement.

“Well it was a fucking fantastic idea,” Clay tucks his other hand under the sweatshirt, his fingertips occasionally brushing against the lace resting on the hips of the smaller man. 

“I think these,” Clay snaps the band lightly, “these might be my favorite part.”

George giggles while he runs his fingers through the blonde’s hair. It’s getting long, Clay has always strived to have a good flow for the football season. His hair peeks out from under his helmet just how he likes by playoffs. The two boys sit in silence, occasionally a giggle passes through George’s lips.

“What are you laughing about?”

“It’s nothing, you’re just cute,” Clay blushes at George’s praise, never having been one to be complimented much.

“Um, well, thank you, you’re not bad either,” Clay does his best at flattery before planting several kisses on the boy’s face. 

The two sit in the chair for a bit before George starts falling asleep in the taller’s lap. Clay melts from the small noises leaving George’s mouth. He can tell he’s about to be asleep so he offers to take him upstairs.

“Lemme carry you,” he feels George nod against his chest. He snakes his hands under the boy’s soft thighs and lifts, making sure he doesn’t fall and drop the precious boy in his arms. Clay’s hands are calloused and rough in contrast to the boy’s skin. All Clay wants is for the boy to stay for the night.

“Hey babes, can you grab the door handle for me? I can’t quite reach it,” the blonde says softly in George’s ear. He feels the boy’s arms unravel from his neck and down to the cold handle. Making the way to the boy’s room, he sees someone he’s not expecting.

“Bro you’re fucking whipped.”

Straining his neck around George’s head he sees Nick standing in the common room of their dorm. His hair is ruffled and his low set eyes, giving Clay the feeling the boy is high. 

“What are you doing here? It’s like three AM, we have a game in like what, 12 hours?” 

“I could say the same for you, I was just walking some of the boys home, they were drunk and needed help,” Nick informs. Clay wants to push the boy for more information but he knows that will just lead to an argument, something that’s been becoming more and more frequent between the best friends. 

“He just, he was tired, it’s nothing,” he starts adding, “we’re nothing,” the sentence takes even Clay by surprise. He doesn’t notice George’s open eyes.

“Whatever you say, the boys don’t care, just so you know, whatever you want, we’re good with. This is fucking cliche but all we want is for you to be happy,” Nick confesses, the two boys staring at eachother for a moment before Clay continues his journey.

“Stay here, I’ll be back, I just need to, yeah, yeah,” he gestures to the man in his arms. 

“Of course,” Nick responds, Clay passing him, walking up the stairs to George’s dorm room.

Clay goes to open the man’s door before realizing he’s locked out. He fishes into the boy’s sweatshirt pocket, feeling a sharp point on his ring finger, he can feel the cold silver on his hands. 

After unlocking the door, the blonde gently sets the boy on his bed. A quiet, “thank you,” is uttered from his lips.

“Of course, sleep well, I’ll wake you up for my game tomorrow baby, good night, I love you,” the last part of the sentence coming off softly, not wanting the other boy to hear him. 

Clay thinks he hears a soft noise from the boy but he heads down to meet his friend.

“Look, I love you, but what are you doing here?” 

“I just needed to bring people home... bitch,” he adds to insult, wanting his friend to ignore the rest of the events from the night. Nick makes eye contact with the boy before the two laugh at their condition.

“How the fuck did we get here?” the blonde questions the shorter boy, “What did we do to make this shit happen?”

The blonde laughs at the boy, not wanting to drag out the conversation.

Nick pulls the boy into questioning, “I love you, but why didn’t you tell me? You could’ve trusted me ya know?”

Clay knows the boy’s intentions are for the best, but the brunette makes him feel like shit. He knows he’s wanted to tell his best friend for a while but his words encourage the heavy in his heart. 

“Nick, I wanted to be honest with you, I just couldn’t,” Clay spills to the man who quickly shushes him.

“Bro I’m not mad at all, bit confused, but I don’t care, and I don’t think any of your friends do for that matter, we just want you to be happy, that’s it,” Nick cuts him off. 

Clay can feel tears form in his eyes. He’s not sure when they fall, the next thing he can feel is Nick wrapping his arms around the taller boy.

“Drista will hate me,” Clay chokes out.

“What the fuck are you talking about? Drista? Dude that kid will somehow find a way to idolize you more now. Please don’t think about her reaction, I love her man, but like, her opinion doesn’t matter,” Nick’s words ring true, but Clay doesn’t care about true right now.

“It’s late, you should go to bed, we have a game tomorrow,” Clay tries not to sound pushy, but he knows his words will come off harsh either way. 

“Yeah probably, but for now, we’re going to your room and smoking,” Nick grins at the boy, slinging an arm around his neck and making his way to the blonde’s room, “you need some much needed Sappitus Nappitus therapy.”

The taller of the two laughs and reluctantly agrees to spend time with the brunette. They both sit on Clay’s bed, passing the pen between each other. 

“Why are you always like this?” Nick complains to the boy across from him.

“What the fuck are you talking about? I didn’t do anything.”

“You could not say a single word and I’d want to tell you all my secrets, it fucking sucks,” Nick earnestlty says to the boy, “Look, it’s not my place to tell you about the other person,” Clay can’t read where this is going, something that doesn’t happen often, “but I’ve been sort of hooking up with this person.”

“Good shit bro, you don’t need to tell me anything else if you don’t want to,” the blonde reassures him and Nick seems satisfied with that answer. 

“Okay cool, I just, I’m not sure if we’re- I’m- ready to tell our- my- friends,” the brunette stutters over his words, probably crossed and in need of sleep. The taller man nods and places an awkward hand on the boy’s shoulder. 

He thinks for a moment before proposing, “Do you just want to sleep here?” 

“Yeah that’d be nice, I can just take the floor,” Clay shakes his head refusing the boy’s offer, “Take my bed, I’ll sleep on the floor.” 

“Are you sure?” 

“Yeah definitely, you’re going to need all the rest you can get,” Clay reassures him before grabbing one of his pillows and the soft blanket that sits on the edge of his bed.

The two boys say a final goodnight before Clay turns his lights off and takes a spot on the ground. They’re both asleep within minutes of their heads hitting the pillow. 

They are woken by a pissed looking Mr. Young. 

“Nick, why are you here? You should have told someone you were going to sleep here, you know that,” the Dean rants to the men, “We were looking for you all morning, you had several people worried about you.”

Clay steps in, “it’s my fault. I asked him to have a sleepover last night, I’m sorry, this one’s on me.”

“Get up, head to your dorm Nick, get ready, I’m pretty sure you have something important in a few hours boys,” the man gestures to the door, the brunette quickly heading out. Clay follows the man to talk to him and is met with a shocked looking Karl in the common room.

“What are you still doing here?”

“Still?” 

“Oh um, Sap walked me home last night, I just thought he left,” Karl frantically explains. 

“Yeah, well, I have to get going, I’ll see you guys later, Clay, call me,” Nick salutes the two boys before heading out. 

“Hey Karl, sorry I wish I could stay longer but I have to start getting ready for today,” the blonde remarks to the smaller boy before heading upstairs, he needs to talk to George. 

He finds the small man with a whisk to his neck.

“What in the fuck are you doing?” Clay gawks at the boy.

“I need to get rid of your sins, idiot, I can’t cheer like this, I’ll get kicked off the team,” George scolds. 

It seems to actually be doing the trick, the hickies disappearing slowly one by one as Clay sits on the small boy’s bed. 

There’s a soft song playing in the back, sad lyrics filling George’s already blue room. The blonde is tempted to go and pick the man up, ruin his neck even more. 

“Are you excited to play?”

“Always, nervous, but always excited,” Clay grins at the man, he’s now laying down, arms propped behind his head, “I wish you could wear my jersey.”

A blush blooms on George’s fair skin, Clay smirks, glad he’s done what he intended. 

“I could wear it later, if you’d like,” the blonde watches the boy’s eyes fall. 

“That’d be nice Georgie, now I need to go eat and go on a quick run with Nick, I’ll text you before the game,” he gets up and plants a kiss to George’s cheek, now even redder than before. 

The blonde makes his way back to his room and throws on his athletic clothes. Calling Nick, he grabs his water bottle and football bag.

“Run?” is all that the boy needs to say before the line disconnects.

Clay finds his best friend waiting for him outside, similar bag in hand. The two make small talk as they head up to grab food and make their way to the fields. 

Morning passes with sore muscles and dry lungs, the men are running over plays as their teammates file in.

“Hey boys,” a voice booms behind them, both turning and are met with Schlatt, a grin plastered as always, “How you feeling?” 

“Not as rough as I did this morning,” Clay winks at the man who gives him a laugh.

Schlatt stays for a moment longer than Clay wishes he would, but heads to the locker room to change soon enough.

“Where’s he playing?” Nick asks once he’s out of earshot.

“Coach didn’t tell me anything, I would think he’s benched this game at least,” the boy’s suspicion is confirmed to be true when they take the fields a few hours later.

Clay doesn’t notice that, all he can focus on is finding his cheerleader. He’s halfway done scanning the group of students standing in front of the bleachers when he feels a tap on his shoulder. 

“Good luck Clay,” a small voice appears soon after. 

Clay wraps his arms around the boy now in front of him. Whispering a small, “thank you George,” he gives the boy a short kiss on the cheek. 

The blonde has to jog to keep up with his team, finding Nick in the middle of the group.

“That was cute,” the brunette winks to his friend, who meets him with a jab to the gut, “I’m serious! You guys are sweet, it’s a change of pace.”

Clay doesn’t hold back with his second jab, “We’re supposed to be playing football,” is all he returns. 

“Whatever captain, then lead,” Nick gestures to the group around them. 

“I will.”

“Fine.”

“Fine.”

The two boys stare each other down, Clay breaks first, a loud wheeze explodes from his mouth. Nick shortly follows suit, both stopping on the outside of their group. 

“Boys, get going,” their assistant head coach has a frustrated look painted on his face. 

“Nice cheerleader,” a familiar voice comments from behind Clay, Schlatt’s smirking at the blonde. 

“Anything else?” Clay’s not sure how to take the man’s comment, opting for playing football instead. 

“I don’t think so, just don’t get too fucked up out there, don’t think Georgie could handle that.”

Clay decides to take his comments in the way he wants, snatching the man’s jersey and pulling him close. 

“I’ll bench you the rest of the season if you say one more word,” Clay notices his coaches on the way to the altercation, so he drops the boy’s jersey and turns to a slack jawed Nick, “Let’s go, we have to go to the refs,” is all he says before running to the middle of the field with the brunette. 

“What the fuck?” Nick has picked his jaw from the ground, but the look in his eyes hasn’t left.

“I didn’t like what he was saying,” Clay shrugs and continues jogging to meet the three refs and two captains from the opposing school. It looks as if they all saw the interaction as well. 

“Boys,” a short and stocky man acknowledges the two, doing the same for the other team. Dream thinks he recognizes him from previous years and gives him a smile. 

They lose the coin toss, which is fine, the taller man tells himself. 

They’re up 14-7 going into halftime, Dream having scored the second time. He and Sap are on fire tonight, consistently completing passes, being able to read exactly what the other person is going to do, well it at least looks like that’s the case. Dream catches George’s eye a few times, sending a wink the boy’s way whenever he can. The blonde was disappointed when George didn’t show up in his cheer skirt, but he’s glad he gets to see the boy at all, and even happier that the boy is cheering for him. 

The team heads to the locker room for halftime, the captains lead the way. Dream shoots George a smile when he passes him on the sidelines. 

“You did really good Clay,” he hears George call out, and it takes all of his will power to not kiss the boy. He doesn’t have time to stop and talk to him, he wishes time would stop just for a few minutes.

Sapnap and Dream spend most of halftime discussing with a few of their other offensive players about what they want to do better this half.

“Clay, I want you to push me, I know you’re faster than you’re being. I can throw farther,” Sapnap challenges. 

“Fine, but don’t blame me if our completion goes down,” Dream shrugs and rolls his eyes before he feels a pain in his biceps.

“Fuck you, we can do this, I know we can,” Sap continues.

And they do. They do it so well. The pair score three more times, Clay pushing Nick’s arms every time. Clay can see George cheering him on from the side, he can see him smiling every time Clay scores. The game ends and the boys head to the locker room again to celebrate. 

Clay rushes a little more than usual today, making his way to his dorm before anyone else from his team is even done getting undressed.

“I need to call my sister,” is Clay’s excuse to his friends, “It’s, um, it’s her birthday,” Nick knows that’s a lie but doesn’t call him out. He assumes it’s something important. 

The blonde forgets he smells disgusting and by the time he gets to his dorm, he knows the only option is to shower there. George runs through his thoughts and he can’t decide what to do. The decision is made for him when a tired looking George appears at the top of the stairs.

“You did really good.”

“Thank you, so did you,” Clay smiles to the boy, “I smell like shit,” he confesses.

“Me too, I was going to shower, but I want your jersey before you go.”

“Do you want the white or maroon one?” Clay asks, eyes locked with George.

“Which one do you want to see me in,” George teases, prompting Clay to pull his away jersey from his bag, tossing it up to the boy.

“The one that doesn’t smell,” he says honestly. George gives him a small smile before he leaves the taller standing alone, and within a few seconds the sound of water running is all Clay can make out. He contemplates going and joining the boy, but decides that may be a little too soon.

Clay takes possibly the shortest shower of his life. All that fills his heads are images of George cheering for him. He needs George, needs him to know that he loves him. Cold water trickles down his back when he finally steps out. There’s no way he was in the shower for more than ten minutes, but he wishes he could get to the boy upstairs faster. 

He ruffles his hair in a towel, and throwing on his Florida Gator sweatpants he heads to his room to grab a shirt but is met with Karl standing in his doorway.

“Why’d you leave so fast? We were all going to smoke as a celebration,” the brunette looks disappointed that Clay isn’t spending time with them.

“Okay, yeah, I need to go talk to George really quick but I’ll come, just hold on,” Clay slides past Karl to grab a shirt and heads up to meet the boy. He can tell the water has been turned off so he knocks on the brunette’s door. 

“You can come in,” and the sight Clay is met with is magnificent. George is standing in the middle of the room, hair wet, in the same maroon skirt Clay had first seen him in, with Clay’s jersey on top. The taller man fumbles to lock the door and nearly sprints to grab the boy in front of him.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me, you look, you look stunning,” Clay whispers in the man’s ear before having to be the barrer of bad new, “but baby,” he feels George tense up at the nickname, “our friends invited us to go out to celebrate...” he can feel George nod against him, “I’m really sorry.” 

“No it’s okay, do you think anyone would care if I wore this?” George looks up to him with doe eyes.

“Fuck no, and if they do, I swear I will knock out every one of their teeth individually,” Clay’s grip around the boy tightens. He tilts the brunette’s chin up to look at him. Clay leans in slightly waiting for the boy to do the same. George does, and the two share a soft kiss for the first time. 

“I love you George,” Clay spills after the two back away.

“I-I have to go to the bathroom,” George darts out of Clay’s arms and down the hallway.

Clay doesn’t move, he doesn’t cry, he doesn’t breath. He just stands in the boy’s room, arms empty. He trudges out of the room to see George standing waiting for him.

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it, do you still want to come with us? I want you there,” Clay offers, deciding that the best thing to do is to just ignore everything that happened. 

“Are you sure? I’m sorry,” George began.

“Please don’t be, it’s not your fault, we’ve known each other for like a month, I was being stupid, I’m sorry, let’s go, if you want,” Clay offers him his hand.

“Yeah I’d like that a lot,” George blushes before grabbing the man’s hand. Clay’s eyes are glued to George’s legs the entire way down. 

“Oh hey guys, George, I really like your outfit,” Karl smiles sweetly, the boys sharing a smile. 

“Thanks Karl, where are we going?” George inquiries. 

“Back to the boulder we were at last night, and then possibly to the bridge once the sun sets,” Karl explains before adding, “The boys are bringing a bunch of um, stuff,” he giggles.

The three head out before seeing Nick and the rest of their senior friends waiting for them. All of the boys look a tad surprised by George’s outfit, but they had seen him in a skirt the night before and none had said anything about it. 

“You look good George,” Wilbur calls out to the boy who blushes slightly.

“Watch it,” Clay shouts in his direction. Techno and Wilbur break out in full laughs as Clay pulls the brunette closer to him.

Niki is also standing with the group in between Quackity and Wilbur. She’s also wearing her cheer skirt and walks up to George when they get close enough.

“You look really good George, we can match whenever now,” she says with a smile. George laughs in agreement and the group starts to head back to where they went just the night before. Clay and George hold hands the entire way, blushing at each other when their friends make puking noises. 

Alex pulls out an eighth from his pocket along with cones for joints. Nick pulls a grinder from his letterman jacket handing it to Karl with a sheepish smile. 

“Did you hear we're getting two new kids after Christmas break?” Techno starts to comment before being prompted by Nick if he knows anything more about the new kid. “No I don’t, just that they’re both boys.”

“Ah bet, well hopefully they’re cool,” Clay joins in.

The boys spend a few hours just hanging out, getting high, Clay leaning on the smaller boy who’s glued to his side the whole time. 

Heading to the bridge, George tugs on the man’s t-shirt, holding him back from his friends.

“What’s up Georgie?” Clay whispers to the boy.

“I just missed you,” Clay laughs at the shorter man.

“I’m right here baby, what do you need?” he chuckles into George’s ear. 

George tilts his head to look at the boy and kisses him lightly a few times. Clay cups his hand behind the man’s neck and holds him to his lips for longer. 

“You could’ve just said that Georgie,” Clay giggles to the boy before he turns and is met with his friends staring at the two. Niki, Wilbur, and Karl have wholesome smiles painted on their faces, the rest mocking the boys. 

“Fuck off.”

The group ends up laying down on one another watching the sunset through the trees. George is sitting on Clay’s lap, facing away with the man with his legs crossed, Clay’s fingers playing with the hem of his skirt. As it gets dark, Nick starts rolling blunts for the group and Clay whispers to the man on his nap, “Want to hotbox again cutie?” 

“Yes please.”

Hours later, the group is heading back to their dorms whey they spot Schlatt heading down from the school building. 

“Hey boys,” the man calls out to them. Clay’s still mad at the man from yesterday but he’s too high to really care, he hears Nick shout back, “Hey big man, you heading to the dorm?”

“Yeah, mind if I join y’all?”

“Course not,” Wilbur smiles to the man. By then Niki had to go the other way to her dorm and Wilbur was looking quite bored. The two have seem to become close friends in a short time and Clay really enjoys having her around. 

The boys say their goodbyes to one another before they head to their rooms. 

“Hey Georgie, I’m really high, do you want to come sleep with me? Like go to bed with me I mean,” Clay says to the boy, hands riding up his thighs as they stand in the doorway. George giggles and agrees, the two boys walking to the blonde’s room. 

They fall asleep soon after, Clay’s arms wrapped around the brunette.


	5. Nick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An unfortunate accident happens to Clay, Nick continues to think more about himself and his friendships. 
> 
> Sapnap POV POGGGGG!!!! (just for a bit, so cherish it)

Winter comes fast, football games pass with ease, the team going 3-1 while entering week 5. Dream’s definitely been gaining muscle, him and Nick constantly working out in their free time. George and Clay’s relationship has been gradually more and more public, both boys enjoying it, although it does bring nerves for the blonde. The shorter seems more hesitant to be physical in private with the boy than in public. 

They’re on the way up to school late November when Wilbur brings up an idea.

“Do you guys want to do secret santa this year? Like just a little something,” he suggests. Most of the boys nod, a few more excited than others. The blonde notices one of his friends is missing when he looks around the group. ‘He probably went up early.’

“How about when we get back from Thanksgiving break we choose them?” George offers his input. Clay realizes he’d forgotten all about Thanksgiving break. It was only a week, but it was still a week without his friends, and most importantly, George. 

Arriving at breakfast, George takes his usual seat on Dream’s lap. It’s waffle day, Clay’s not very hungry so he just watches peacefully as George shoves syrupy spoonfuls in his mouth. He’s wearing Dream’s letterman, as Clay hates the jacket on himself. It makes him feel like a douchebag, more than he likes. So, he’s opted for letting his cheerleader wear it.

POV Change (still third but now new focus): Sapnap :)))) yooooooo new stuff

The brunette rolls on his side and groans, the previous night had taken a lot out of him. He pulls out his phone from under his pillow and checks the time. 9:14. ‘Fuck’ he rushes to get out of his bed and checks his phone once again to see if any of his friends had reached out. 

10 new messages

Clay

-Where are you??

-Bro ur lateeee

-Can you wake up please

-Miss you Nicky

George

-hey clay wanted me to reach out

-hope you’re good :)

Karl

-where are you

-i miss u

-we shouldn't have stayed out that late

-im sorry please come up when ur ready

Nick responds to all, thanking George for looking out for him and reassuring Karl and Clay that he was okay. He throws on his tan Dickies and a black tshirt. He grabs a beanie for the day, too lazy to brush out his hair. He decides it’s as good of a day as any to use his longboard. He can make it a little ways up the hill on it, better than walking the whole thing. 

His phone is vibrating in his pocket and he fishes for it to see his favorite brunette calling him. 

“Hey sorry I slept in,” Nick apologizes to the boy.

“It’s okay Sappy, come up soon” Karl responds with a giggle before a quick goodbye is shared between the men.

Nick’s heart warms at the sound, an encouragement for him to make his way to the school building.

Nick gets up at a faster pace than normal. As he saunters into US History, he spots Clay and Schlatt sitting together. Since Halloween, the two have gotten along better, tolerating one another enough that the group gets along. The brunette takes a seat with the men, class already halfway done. He receives a scolding from the teacher, choosing to ignore it, he turns to Clay.

“Hey after practice can we talk?” he asks the blonde, he’s been meaning to talk to him about his love life after mentioning it to him nearly a month earlier. He gets a nod from his friend and the class drags on.

Practice starts off well, the boys running their normal warmups and drills. They’re halfway through a scrimmage when a loud scream is heard from the otherside of the field. Clay is laying on the ground writhing in pain clutching his arm. His cries fill Nick’s ears as his sprints to his friend. He can see the trainers and coaches doing the same, but they’re not nearly as fast as him. He reaches his friend, kneeling on the ground and pulling the boy’s helmet off. 

“Clay, Clay, look at me, what happened?” 

“Fuck, fuck, I’m going to fucking, fuck, shit, fuck, mother fucker,” Clay continues to cry out. 

The coaches arrive to the boys, pushing Nick back, and attempting to lift the blonde off the ground. They succeed after more loud strings of curses leave Clay’s mouth. 

Nick turns to whoever just tackled Clay.

“Who the fuck did that? Who the fuck did it?”

The entire team turns to look at a boy with brunette hair sticking from the bottom of his helmet. The man pulls it off. 

Schlatt.

“Why the fuck did you tackle him so hard? What were you thinking? You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Nick starts to yell at the boy before a few of his teammates step in. Nick knows they’re right. He knows it’s not actually Schlatt’s fault. But all he wants in the moment is to do the exact same damage to him as he’d done to Clay. 

“You know you’re not supposed to go all out, we’re not even in the second half of the scrimmage,” Nick knows he’s lying to himself and his team. Schlatt starts to back away from the boy.

“Listen I’m sorry, this isn’t my normal position, but there’s nothing I can do now, I’m sorry,” Schlatt starts to go, leaving Nick to be handled by his teammates. 

“Leave me alone, I need to go find Clay,” Nick shoves them away. The man can spot his friend being held up by their coaches. He can see their head coach on the phone, presumably with the nearest hospital. The cheer team runs up the hill, presumably doing warmups and he spots a familiar brunette in the middle of the pack. George’s face drops when he sees Clay clutching his arm, face red and tears in his eyes. 

“Clay!” Both brunettes call out at the same time, Clay’s neck whipping in Nick’s direction first, snapping back to George’s after spotting who yelled for him. He gives them both a weak smile and continues in the direction of the parking lot. 

He gets into the passenger seat of one of the school’s vans giving his friends a quick wave with his good arm. His arm pressed tightly to his abdomen, a cringed look on his face. Nick feels horrible for his friend, knows he’ll be out for at least two months, if not longer. He’ll be lucky to play in the playoffs. 

Nick finds George looking sad outside the school building.

“Hey bro, he’ll be okay, I promise,” Nick tries to reassure the man.

“I know, he’s just going to be so sad when he can’t play, he loves it so much,” George is staring at the ground, not wanting to look at the man to his right. 

“There’s a high chance he’ll make playoffs, he’s a fighter, he won’t let it go that easy,” Nick continues to try to tell the boy. 

George nods and stares blankly at the car driving away. Nick is still fuming but decides to head to his dorm. He shoots a quick text to Karl to come over and throws his phone on the bed. 

1 new message

-omw ill be there in a few

The small boy arrives at his front dorm within ten minutes and Nick leads him to his room. He locks the door behind them and heads to lay on his bed. 

“Clay broke his arm.”

“I heard, George looked really sad when he came to the dorm today,” Karl looks to Nick with pity in his eye, “I’m really sorry babe.” 

Nick softens into the boy with the nickname. 

“I love you,” falls out of his mouth.

“I love you too,” Karl brushes his hand over the man’s cheek, “I’m glad it wasn’t you getting hurt, I’m not gonna lie,” the brunette confesses. 

Nick smiles at him before planting a kiss to the boy’s lips. He repeats it a few more times before lengthening the touches. Karl’s shirt is halfway off when a knock interrupts the men.

“Yes?” Nick calls out.

“It’s George, I need to talk to you,” both boys freeze and Karl searches around the room for an escape. There isn’t an obvious choice, so Karl sits at the boy’s gaming chair.

“Just pretend we were hanging out, don’t be suspicious,” Karl rushes the boy to open the door. 

Nick unlocks the door, opening it to a sorrow looking George. He can tell the dark haired boy is confused by Karl in the man’s room. 

“Oh hey, what’s up Karl?” George sniffles.

“Hey George,” the boy responds solemnly, “Nick and I were just talking about what happened,” all of the boys tensing up at the statement. It probably wasn’t the best thing for him to say.

“Yeah, Clay texted me in the car and told me he’ll call when he knows what happened,” George explains. 

The boy’s depressing expression just makes Nick feel even worse. He knows there’s not much he can do for the boy, instead deciding to just invite him in. 

The three talk for a while to help get George’s mind elsewhere before they get a call from the blonde.

“Clay! Hey, can I put you on speaker phone?” is the first thing out of the brunette’s mouth when his phone rings. Nick assumes the answer is yes when George pulls the phone from his ear and sets it on the table.

“Hey guys,” Clay’s voice calls out from the speaker.

“Hey bro, it’s me, George, and Karl, we’re just in my room,” Nick informs him.

“Hey Karl,” which receives a small “hi,” from the blue eyed boy. 

“So there’s a chance I’m going to have to have surgery, but that also means I’ll heal a bit faster, more like eight weeks instead of twelve,” Clay’s voice sounds nervous, for obvious reasons.

“When would it be done?” George asks, seemingly even more tense than the man on the other end of the phone.

“Next few days, I’d head back to school for a bit and come back to the hospital probably early next week, I’ll see you before anything happens, I promise,” and at that, George’s face flushes red, and he seems satisfied with the answer. 

The three talk to their friend for a few more minutes before hanging up, Clay needs to rest. George leaves soon after leaving Karl and Nick back to their original setting.

“I’m sorry about that, I wasn’t expecting him,” Nick apologizes to his boyfriend who just shakes his head and touches Nick’s cheek. 

“Don’t be sorry, it was nice to hear from Clay anyways, I was worried about him,” Karl assures the boy. 

The two reposition themselves back on Nick’s bed, Karl curls up to the boy, his sweater soft on Nick’s arms. 

“How are you not dying of heat stroke in this? You’re crazy,” the boy jokes to Karl. 

“It’s comfy, shut up,” Karl shoots back, drawing out the y in comfy.

The two often find themselves in this position. Comfortable silence, just content with holding each other. Nick loves the boy so much, and Karl seems to feel the same way. He wishes he could be more of who he really is. Clay’s ability to be honest with them had made Nick envy him even more. 

Nick doesn’t remember when he fell asleep, just that he wakes up alone. Twilight is settling in the sky, a sign that dinner had already passed, and Nick’s grumbling stomach didn’t agree with that. 

His phone starts ringing loudly and the Caller ID shows him his best friend’s face.

“Clay, hey, sorry I’ve been asleep,” Nick groggily tells the blonde.

“Yeah, yeah, I assumed, I’m back, come to my dorm, I need help showering,” Clay can barely get the sentence out before breaking out into a wheeze followed by a string of curses, “I need to stop fucking laughing.”

This causes Nick to break out into a whole hearted laugh, “Yeah I’ll be right there, just give me a few minutes, I need to get changed.”

He hangs up the phone and searches for a pair of black jeans and a shirt to match. The maroon letterman doesn’t exactly match his shirt, but he doesn’t exactly care. Dumping his keys and phone into his pocket, he jogs out of his dorm and across the lawn to his friend’s. 

He stands knocking for a few minutes before none other than Karl answers the door.

“Oh hey, I’m sorry I left, I didn’t want to wake you.”

“Don’t worry about it,” searching for people behind Karl before adding, “babe,” which makes the blue eyed boy blush, “I’m just here to see Clay, he called me saying he’s back.”

“Oh yeah, he’s in George’s room I think right now.”

Nick mentally punches the wall, he wants to talk to the boy alone. He takes the stairs two at a time, knocking on George’s door hearing a, “come in,” on the other side.

Surprise is the first thing on Nick’s face when he opens the door, George’s room is, well it’s fucking blue. And there’s Clay sitting on the boy’s bed, George is tucked under his good arm. His arm is in a sling and Nick can see him occasionally tense up when George shifts in his arms. 

“Oh hey Nick,” George smiles up to the man, “I can leave if you want,” and Nick silently thanks whatever is controlling the universe.

“Oh that’d actually be nice, I’ve been meaning to talk to Clay about some stuff as well,” the brunette smiles to George and Clay gives him a puzzled but satisfied look.

George gets up, sliding past Nick and saying, “just tell me whenever you’re done, I’ll be in the common room.” 

“Karl’s around also, I’m sure he’d love to talk to you.” 

And with that, George gives him a quick nod and heads downstairs, shutting the door behind him. The two men look at each other before Clay gets a sad look in his eyes. Tears start to well up before he blinks them away.

“You can cry in front of me, you know, I’m really sorry this happened, do you know how long you’re out for?” Nick’s not sure if he wants to know the answer.

“I have surgery on Tuesday, then full recovery time is looking like eight to ten weeks. If all goes perfectly I’ll be back the week before playoffs, and hopefully I’ll be able to play by the first round,” Clay doesn’t look too hopeful at his response, but it’s something. 

Both boys sit in silence before Nick finally cracks, “You need to keep a secret.”

“That’s literally what I’m here for for you,” Clay gives the man a toothy grin.

“I’ve been seeing Karl for a month and a half.”

“And I’ve been seeing him since I first met him- oh- oh, you, you mean the other kind of seeing,” Clay wheezes before quickly realizing what that actually meant, “Oh no way.” 

The small response has Nick dying of laughter on George’s blue carpet. 

“Well yes way, he’s the person who I told you about like a month ago, I just wasn’t ready to tell anyone, but I guess now I am,” Nick confesses, now laying on the ground.

“Dude that’s great, does Karl know you were going to tell me?”

“Yeah we’ve been talking about it for a couple weeks now, I told him I needed to tell you before anyone else,” Nick sheepishly says, eyes glued to the floor. 

“If I could physically hug you I would, when did you know? If you don’t mind me asking,” Clay grins to the boy, reminding him of a conversation he had not that long ago with George. 

“I’ve known I liked everyone for years now, I just wasn’t really ready to be honest with myself until Halloween, Karl and I had been hooking up for a few weeks and I guess I was trying to convince myself I was just lonely or something stupid. When I saw him that night, something just clicked, I’m not sure. But Clay, I really love this boy. Like a lot,” Nick rambles and when he looks up to his friend, Clay’s wearing a shit eating grin on his face.

“Dude that’s fantastic, I’m so happy for you, that’s so dope,” Clay’s tone is genuine and honest. 

Nick gets up from the floor to hug the boy but remembers he can’t. Instead he opts for saluting the man.

“I need to go talk to Karl, I’m sorry, I’ll send George up,” and with that, Clay nods and Nick heads back downstairs.

POV Change: back to Clay :) 

As Nick walks out of George’s room, the blonde is left with a head swarming with thoughts. He’s so happy for the boy, a bit confused, but mainly happy. Nick’s actions over the last month start to make a lot of sense to him as George walks in.

“Hi baby,” he croaks out which is replied to with a blush covering George’s face. He climbs back over the blonde, making sure to be careful and not bump him. Settling back into his good arm, George plants a kiss to Clay’s cheek. 

“I wish I could help you,” George complains, sad eyes looking up to Clay.

“Well you could...” Clay receives a slap to his good arm for that one. 

“I really do hate you sometimes, I just want you to not be in pain baby,” Clay melts at the nickname falling from George’s mouth, pressing his mouth to the boy’s, wanting to feel everything about the man next to him. 

This is always Clay’s favorite part of the day, when George is safe in his arms. Even in the worst of situations, the constant of the brunette in the man’s life always helps. He feels the boy tuck his head into the crook of his neck. 

“What are you thinking about?” He feels George mumble into his neck. 

“You. Like always,” George’s face heats up at the compliment. Clay’s praise always makes the man tense up and turn to putty. The blonde’s bad arm comes in the way of him doing what he wants. 

“Can you come here baby?” the blonde asks.

“I’m already basically on top of you, how much closer can I get?” George whines in his ear.

“You could undress us both, I do need help you know?” Clay suggests, whispering into the brunette’s ear who nods quickly. 

“Yeah okay I can do that,” George starts by helping the taller man’s good arm out of his shirt, followed by having to carefully remove his sling. Clay winces in pain several times, causing George to stop whatever he’s doing and make sure the blonde’s okay. 

It takes a few minutes but the boy’s shirt comes off. 

“I can keep my sweats on, I don’t want someone to come in and think the worst,” Clay mutters while putting his cast back on, “You could though, that wouldn’t be a problem,” he clears his throat and smirks to George who complies.

Clay’s one good arm wraps around the boy and holds the small boy’s thigh with a calloused hand. 

“Wake me up in the morning, mkay?” Clay asks the boy, a pattern they’ve gotten in for the last few weeks. Waking up in the morning to sneak out and smoke, taking showers together before their dorm parent gets up. 

“Of course,” George pulls out his phone, Clay peeking to see what he’s doing. He sees the boy scroll through Instagram for a bit before his eyelids start to droop. 

The boys wake up from a pitter on their window. George leans over this blonde to see Sapnap standing outside his window.

“Hey, is Clay in there with you? I tapped on his window but he didn’t respond,” Nick questions, having to be pretty loud for the boy to hear.

“Yeah, he’s in here with me,” George trying to not wake the blonde up, and failing, a loud groan coming from the man next to him.

“What?” is all that’s muttered from Clay’s mouth, “Oh, good morning baby.”

“Nick’s outside Clay, I think he needs you,” George informs the blonde who turns the best he can to his window to look out.

“Oh hey bro, what’s up,” Clay’s morning voice thick and deep, “whatcha need?”

“Oh I was just going to invite you guys to come with me and Karl to sesh? No stress though, I don’t want you to fuck with your arm,” Nick is half yelling by now.

“Dude how will smoking affect my arm? Either way, we’re on our way,” Clay makes the decision for the both of them, George smiling with his choice. George and Karl have gotten along exceptionally well since he started.

“What do you want to wear?” 

“What? I can’t go shirtless,” Clay jokes with the man now sitting up. 

George just scoffs at him before reaching for a fitted black shirt on the ground, “Here. Can I borrow a sweatshirt? I don’t want to go get one of mine,” George asks, not waiting for an answer, and picks up Clay’s favorite lime green sweatshirt, “This one?’

Clay just smiles at the boy standing in front of him, “Yes, of course, please,” he quickly rambles out. 

The two take longer than normal to get ready, George having to help dress Clay and also get ready himself. They meet Karl and Nick in the downstairs common room, all not saying a word before getting outside.

“Morning,” Karl groggily says to the men who grin at him. The shorter man is wearing a sweatshirt that looks a little too familiar to Clay, but he chooses to just shut his mouth. 

“Good morning,” George gives him a wide smile, Nick and Clay staying a few feet back from the men now walking together. 

“Hey, how are you feeling?” Nick has a concerned look on his face, obviously pitying his friend at least a little bit. The last thing Clay wants is his friends to worry about him, well that’s only behind having George worry about him.

The four boys arrive at the bridge as the sun is rising, Clay’s arm is sore, he craves the pain relief he knows the weed in Nick’s pocket will provide. As if the man can read his mind, and Clay’s pretty sure he can, Sapanp retrieves the small baggy from his pocket. Apparently Karl had gotten three ounces dropped off for the boys, the biggest reup they had done to date. 

“So Clay, surgery on Tuesday huh?” Nick looks at his friend. 

“Yeah, it shouldn’t be bad, I’m not even staying overnight in the hospital,” Dream’s face is emotionless, partially trying to mask the pain shooting up his arm.

Karl takes responsibility for grinding the weed and stuffing it into the cones Alex had provided last night. Clay watches as Nick stares down the blue eyed boy, face full of love. The pain in Clay’s arm seems to subside for a bit while he watches his friend in love. 

“George, can you come here for a second?” the sentence spills from his mouth before he means to let it. The brunette shuffles over to him, the taller reaching out to grab his hand. 

“Do you need anything or did you just want to hold hands?” George teases up at him.

“I’m not sure actually, I think some of both, can you tighten my sling pretty please?” George giggles at the task and shifts so he can pull on the strap.

A small noise comes from Clay’s mouth, causing George to immediately halt what he was doing.

“I’m fine, really, can you just set it at this?” Clay tries to assure the boy, who loosens it a little bit before reattaching the sling.

By the time they’re done, Karl has a joint ready for Clay and the brown eyed boy to share. He holds it up to Clay’s lips so he can light it himself. 

Inhaling lightly, he holds the pink lighter Nick has provided up to the end of the joint. He hasn’t smoked in a few days, the product of constant practice and wanting to cuddle with George. Relief washes over his body as he exhales. 

He remincies on the first time he’d ever smoked, it was his freshman year, he had met Nick after being in the same math and science classes. Nick’s older brother, Luke had also attended Cortona and was two years above the boys. Clay had caught him smoking behind the dorm one day, and he had freaked out, thinking Dream would snitch. Luke offered him the rest of his joint to shut him up. He’d never told Nick about that, his friend didn’t need to know that his older brother let Clay smoke weed before him. 

He’s brought out of his thoughts by a kiss on the cheek from George, “Whatcha thinking about baby,” the brunette whispers in his ear.

Clay turns to Nick, “actually I was thinking about Punz.”

“Punz?” George has a confused look on his face.

“My brother, Luke,” Nick clarifies to George, “what about him?”

“Just how similar you two are,” Clay jokes to the boy who rolls his eyes at him.

“Fuck off, you know I’m the superior sibling,” Nick laughs, taking the joint resting in between Karl’s lips and hitting it. Karl’s face flushes red at Nick’s action. 

“You got the time?” George looks to Karl who checks his phone.

“6:12, I need to shower too so I’m gonna head back soon,” Karl responds, but it mainly seems like he’s talking to the brunette on his side. 

George and Clay look to each other, a silent agreement that they want to go back is spoken before the shorter boy tells Karl they’ll head back with them. Their high causes it to take them a little longer to get back to their dorms, bodies heavy and tired. Clay keeps his arm tucked around George’s waist the whole time, not daring to let him go.

“We’ll meet out here at 7:45 ‘kay?” Nick nods to the boys heading to their dorms. Clay can tell Karl isn’t sure if he should go with the boy, so he decides to nudge him in the brunette’s direction.

“Yeah, we’ll meet you guys out in a bit,” Clay winks to his friend.

Karl giggles before turning to the dorm with the boy. George and Clay unlock their front door and the two make their way up the stairs, into George’s bathroom upstairs. Because only a few students live on the second floor, George has a bathroom to himself and it’s proven to be beneficial for many reasons. 

The two shower together, a lot less romantic than usual, George having to help Clay with almost everything. The warm water trickles down Clay’s face and broad shoulders, George admiring his features while running a cloth down his chest.

“Hi baby,” Clay smiles down at the boy, having to hold his arm close to his abdomen. 

“Hi hi,” George giggles to him, continuing to wash the taller. Clay’s breath stops when he sees the shorter man start to bend at his knees, “I need to clean your legs of course,” his big brown eyes staring deeply in the blonde’s emerald ones. 

Clay swallows hard, trying to not imagine what the boy’s lips would feel like around him. He fails miserably getting hard in seconds, George noticing and gripping Clay in his small hand. The blonde’s breath hitches, his free hand falling to the brunette’s hair.

George takes him in his mouth and Clay’s knees buckle, the blonde nearly falls over.

“Oh fuck, I’m sorry,” the taller panicks immediately going to help George up, “maybe we should wait, til, I can’t, like, fall and break my arm even worse.”

“That might be a good idea,” George gives him a shy smile, obviously embarrassed from the incident. Clay just grabs the man’s face with his good hand and kisses him long and hard.

“Okay now let’s hurry up, I want to get out of here.” 

The two dry off, George helping Clay into his clothes once again. It’s a long process, but they’ve figured a way to speed it up a bit. If George gets dressed first he can help Clay a lot faster, the two are ready by 7:00, enough time to get back to their own rooms before Eric wakes them up.

George helps Clay put his sling back on, and as the blonde walks down the stairs he turns around to give the brunette a small smile. 

Clay heads to get his backpack not putting much in it. Friday’s pass quick, seniors only have a few classes and since he can’t play Clay will just be able to spend time with his friends. AP Lang passes in a breeze, Clay’s dominant hand is fine so he can write. Even that being the case, he just ends up messing with George the entire time.

The school day passes fast, the weekend passing faster, Clay’s surgery looming over all of their friends. They all know there’s nothing to worry about, but something about surgery in general scares all of them. Not wanting to worry George any more, Clay agrees to wake George up when he returns from the hospital Tuesday night. 

And he does. Clay is still a little loopy from his pain medications but he manages to make it up the stairs when he returns from the hospital late Tuesday night. George is wide awake sitting on his bed, headphones in and watching what looks like Youtube. 

The brunette bolts up from his spot on his navy comforter and runs to the boy in his doorway.

“You’re back, Oh my gosh, how are you feeling? How’s your arm?” George has a worried look painted on his face, obviously wanting to reach out and touch the boy, not wanting to hurt him. 

Clay’s bad arm is still in a sling, so he uses his free one to wrap it around the smaller boy. He can feel the brunette breath a sigh of relief. 

“How was your day baby? How was everyone?” Clay leans down to plant a kiss to the top of George’s head.

“Shut up, none about me, how are you feeling, here, lay down,” George grabs his free hand, guiding him to the twin bed in the corner of the brunette’s room. Clay willingly follows the boy, just wanting to be near him.

The two spend another perfect night in George’s room. Peaceful silence fills the room once they lay down, Clay just grateful he’s with George, and the brunette grateful that his boy is safe.


	6. Thanksgiving

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clay heads home for Thanksgiving. Nick is gonna visit. It will be fun. Probably.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey so this is a super short chapter, it's just the lead up into the next big chapter :) 
> 
> this is the third day in a row that i've uploaded, thats not super normal but okay yes cool pog super cool sexy and awesome 
> 
> thank you all so much for all the lovely comments and such recently!!

Wednesday and Thursday pass in a flash, the boys spend most of their time packing and cleaning their rooms. Clay doesn’t see much of George, both fretting their home visits. Clay knows he should tell his family about his new relationship, but there’s nothing he wants to do less. 

The group meets out front Friday morning, ready to say their goodbyes before they all leave for the week. Nick and Clay share a quick moment to talk about their travel plans before the group goes around with hugs. 

“You leave at two right?” Clay wraps his arms around George’s waist, feeling the boy tense beneath him, “I’m heading out around five so I’ll be here to say goodbye,” the blonde assures him. Nick and Clay spend the holidays on and off with each other’s families. Nick’s going to Clay’s house for Thanksgiving, Clay will head out to Texas for New Years. The tradition had started Clay’s sophomore year after Nick and his dad had gotten into a massive fight and the boy didn’t want to stay in his house. Ever since the two got stoned in Clay’s basement on New Year’s Eve the two hadn’t wanted to spend the holidays without each other. 

“Eric is taking me to the airport so I’ll be around for a bit,” George tells the boy, landing a light kiss to his cheek.

Clay still hasn’t gotten used to his friends seeing him in his most vulnerable states with George. The gentle touches and pecks on his cheek still make his face flush and breath hitch. 

“I need to go shower okay? I’ll come to your room when I’m done,” George says quietly enough for only the blonde to hear him, the only response, him nodding into the top of the brunette’s head. The shorter man says a final goodbye to the group before making his way up the rocky path. 

“So Sap, Dream, whatcha guys have planned for the break?” Techno adds to the group, having remained silent for most of the interaction. 

“The classics, beach with the fam, Drista wanting to hang out with us, the usual,” Clay remarks to the man. Techno’s roots had grown long, the pastel pink hair sitting at his shoulders. The man now sported a light stubble, looking as if he’s double the age of most of the group. 

“I can’t wait to see your sister bro, she actually likes having me around,” Nick jokes to the group, turning to Clay with the comment. 

Wilbur and Techno are planning on spending the break together, and Niki hopefully will be joining the group for a few days. 

“So Niki huh?” Niki questions the man towering over the group who shakes his head with a chuckle.

“Nah bro, she’s just, she’s just cool, nothing more,” Wilbur responds, brushing off the question as fast as possible. 

Nick seems to have taken the hint, nodding to the man then turning to Karl, “So you excited to go home?”

“Yeah, Jimmy, Chris, and Chandler are all already home so I’ll see them all tonight,” Karl says, speaking of his older brothers. The four brothers were known for being a handful, all four having attended Cortona. The pranks Chandler and Punz had pulled still live on to the day. Karl was the odd one out, soft spoken and respectful. The teachers were shocked when the youngest had come to the school with a pleasant smile and a willingness to actually get things done. 

The boys say their last goodbyes for the week, returning to their dorms to put their stuff together. Clay visits the brunette once more before he has to leave, sending him off with a long kiss, “no marks, mother would be furious,” George had insisted the week prior.

“Call me when you land?” George mutters to the blonde.

“Of course, you’re going to be asleep when I do though,” Clay teases the boy, who replies simply, “my sleep schedule will change for you.” 

The blonde laughs at George’s comment, leaving him with one last kiss before their dorm parent ushers him out the front door.

“Come on you two, it’s a week,” Eric says, obviously annoyed with them. 

The few hours before Clay is scheduled to leave is spent getting stoned with Alex and Nick, the only of their friends that haven’t left. 

“So Quackmister, how will you be spending your break? Do you like Thanksgiving?” Nick questions the man.

“Fuck no, I plan on getting stoned with my siblings the whole time.”

“Speaking of them, how’s Alexis?” Sapnap asks, wiggling his eyebrows. Alexis, Quackity’s older sister, had been the group’s communal crush for their sophomore and junior years.

“She’s good, for your information, still not into any of you pervs,” Quackity rolls his eyes, annoyed with the everlasting comments. 

“Tell her I say hi,” Sap retorts, not giving into Alex’s annoyance. 

“I’m sure I won’t,” Quackity gives the boy a death stare before cracking up in laughter. The boys hit their joints, feeling the effects quickly hit their heads. 

“Time?” Clay casually asks the two, heading to his dorm after finding out he only has thirty minutes until he’s being driven to the airport. 

The trip back home is short, a simple hour flight to southern Florida, Drista meets him with a bright smile at the car, “Brother,” she calls out, drawing out the word, making sure to be extra loud. 

Clay breaks into a half jog, getting to his little sister as soon as possible. The taller man engulfes his sister in a hug, the ends of her hair having been dyed blue since the last time he saw her.

“Nice hair weirdo, I like it, suits your whole asshole aesthetic,” Clay laughs, the comment earning him a punch in the gut, “Hey! Watch the arm, you’ve got precious cargo.”

“You haven’t been precious since I was born prick,” Drista picks up Clay’s suitcase, throwing it in the truck.

Clay's forgotten just how much a few months would age his sister, the now sixteen year old, getting in the driver's seat. She gives him an evil grin while starting the car, “So how’s it feel to be the one needing rides?” 

Her joke rewards a small laugh from Clay.

“Hey, I asked you to pick me up alone for a reason. We need to talk,” a serious silence falling over the car with the blonde’s sentence.

“Okay... well am I in trouble?” his sister, obviously nervous, questions.

“No, no, course not, just need to get something out of the way before mom and dad.”

“Go for it,” Drista, now intrigued, pushes her brother. 

“So I’ve been seeing this person...”

“Well yeah, we can all see people.”

“God you’re just like him,” Clay sighs before adding, “Nick, he said the same thing.”

“You’re dating Nick? What the fuck? Like that’s dope, but where did this come from?”

Clay bursts into a wheeze, partially hurting his hurt arm, “No, please kill me before I date Nick, there’s this guy...” he can sense Drista’s change in body language at the mention of gender. 

“What about him? He cute?” Drista asks, possibly the best reaction Clay could have asked for. 

“I sure think so,” Clay runs his free hand through his overgrown hair. 

He knows his mom will try to make him cut it while he’s home and he’s dreading it. It’s one of the few things that he prides himself in. The little things about himself are the ones he likes the most. His naturally highlighted hair, freckles that litter his nose, the gold flecks in his eyes that he can find if he looks long enough. 

Drista takes her eyes off the road to smile at her brother, “Good shit, can I see a picture of him?”

Clay blushes at the unexpected question, although his phone is filled to the brim with pictures of the brunette, he’s startled by the ask. 

“Oh yeah, of course, eyes on the road, I’ll show you when we get home,” Clay tells the girl, pulling out his phone in the search of the best picture of George. Of course, to Clay, all the pictures are perfect and he ends up spending the rest of the drive home staring at photos of the man. 

“When is Nick coming?” Drista glares over the boy, now deep in thought about the brunette.

“Sunday, his parents are making him do Thanksgiving with them too,” Clay explains, the mention of his best friend has him missing him.

“Lame, well are you gonna tell mom and dad about your boyfriend,” Drista has a shit eating grin on her face, Clay’s least favorite expression on his sister.

“‘M not sure, haven’t really thought about it,” the blonde lies, it’s all that’s been on his mind this week. 

“Well just update me, don’t wanna say anything dumb,” her smile softens. 

For the first time in a long time, Clay isn’t worried about being who he is around people. Drista has always had that effect on him though. Since they were kids the two told each other everything, big or small. When their parents told them they were moving to Florida, Drista was a mess. She wouldn’t stop crying for days, didn’t want to leave her friends in Oregon. Clay had sat with her every night while she cried, trying to convince her that things would work out. In the end, he was right; Drista was incredibly well liked and popular at her new school. 

Clay had wanted Drista to attend Cortona with him, nearly begged her to try it out her freshman year. She refused, saying that she didn’t want to have to make all new friends again, and instead attended a local private school.

As the two drive home, Clay contemplates telling his parents, if he’s going to do it he needs to do it before Nick arrives, which gives him just two days.

“Ay, big man,” the familiar nickname breaks Clay out of his thoughts.

“What did you just say?” Clay freezing up at the name. 

“Big man? Hey, are you okay Clay? Do you need more pain meds for your arm?” Drista turns into their mother in a matter of seconds after seeing her pale faced brother.

“No, sorry, I just, it doesn’t matter, I just thought you were someone else for a second,” Clay honestly tells his sister, “Just this guy at my school calls me the same thing.”

“Your boyfriend? Sorry, I’ll stop,” Drista shuts up.

“For your information, no, not my ‘boyfriend,’” Clay mocks his sister’s tone, “No, just the new backup quarterback,” not wanting to talk about Schlatt anymore he changes the topic, “So how’s school? How are your friends?”

“Still asking about you,” Drista rolls her eyes, Clay’s face burning hot.

The two pull into their driveway, Clay’s mom already running out to see her son.

“Clay! How are you feeling sweetie? I’m sorry I wasn’t there when you hurt yourself,” she babbles to her eldest. Clay’s reminded of why he has a hard time being home. The suffocation his parents provide him has always made it stressful. 

“I'm good mom, I’m good, my arm’s already feeling a lot better, the doctors said I should be able to be out of the sling soon and I’ll be fully healed in a couple months,” he explains, giving his mom a long hug. Clay can see his dad coming out of the garage to greet him.

“Hey dad,” Clay gives him an awkward smile. 

The two had gotten along most of Dream’s childhood, but ever since the blonde had left for school, tension often seemed to build between the men when Clay is home. 

“How’s school? Nick? How’s he?” is all his dad grants him. 

“He’s good, school is alright, the usual.”

“How are your college applications?” 

College. The thing Clay is fearing above all. Most of his friends have already finished their applications, Wilbur and Techno both applied for early admission at some of their schools. 

“They’re good, yeah,” Clay blatantly lies to his dad, not wanting to start a fight in the first five minutes of break, “need to work a bit more on my essay but I should be done in the next few weeks,” the lie stretches out, for no apparent reason except it’s all Clay can think of doing. 

“Glad to hear it, well you go inside, I’ll grab your bags,” Clay’s dad gives him a nod and heads around to the trunk of Drista’s car. 

The family makes their way inside, both siblings almost immediately heading to their rooms. 

“Hey can you come here Clay?” Dream hears his sister call out from across the hall.

“Can you come here?” he counters her offer and a few seconds later he can hear the distinct sound of Drista’s door opening. 

She walks in, long hair tied up in a messy bun, her open laptop resting on her forearm. Taking a seat on his bed, she sets her computer down and turns in so he can have a look. Open are several tabs of different PC parts, all ones that Clay owns, and he recognizes a few from when he helped Nick build his. He smiles at his little sister, realizing what she’s asking him.

The two spend several hours discussing Drista’s set up, not realizing how much time has passed until their mom calls them for dinner. 

The days leading up to Nick showing up past slow. Dream decides to wait to tell his parents about George until Christmas break, he doesn’t want things to get messed up for when Nick visits. Most of the time Clay spends it in bed or on the phone with George. His mom babies him worse than usual, his arm definitely making her even more suffocating. His dad on the other hand doesn’t talk to Clay much. 

Because of his arm, Dream can’t go pick up his friend from the airport without someone else. Drista offers to do the driving and Clay has to reluctantly agree. It’s a rare occasion for the boys to be alone together, recently more than ever, and the blonde was looking forward to being able to. 

“I won’t be weird, I promise,” Drista assures him.

“Yeah, sure, well his flight lands in like an hour so we should leave in twenty,” Clay informs her, not wanting to be late picking up his best friend.

Drista heads upstairs, leaving Clay in the kitchen to wait. Opening up his friends’ group chat he sees several photos of Techno and Wilbur together, bottles of vodka in both of their hands. The men have flushed faces and look happy as can be. Clay feels a smile grow while looking at everyone else’s vacation photos: Quackity had sent a selfie with his older sister, Tommy and Tubbo apparently went paddle boarding, and lastly there’s a picture from George with his cat resting on his chest. Clay’s heart aches while looking at the photo. 

He doesn’t hear the footsteps behind him.

“Is that him?” a female voice says softly behind him.

“Oh, yeah, that’s him,” Clay holds the phone closer to his sister’s face.

Drista gives him a smile, “He’s cute.”

“Who’s cute?” they both turn to be met with their parents getting back from the grocery store.

“No one,” both say simultaneously.

“Secrets, secrets, well, you guys should get going, don’t want to be late,” his mom smiles to her kids, oblivious to anything that had just happened. 

The two siblings look at eachother with wide eyes before turning back to their parents, nodding before rushing out the front door.

“Holy fuck, well, remind me to never say anything ever again,” Drista says, looking apologetically at her brother. He knows everything is fine, knows their parents don’t know, but his heart rate won’t settle, his hands won’t stop shaking. 

“It’s fine, It really is,” Clay tries to convince his sister at the same time he’s trying to convince himself, “They don’t know, and I’ll tell them soon anyways, it’s fine,” the blonde’s breath hitches at the end of his statement, still trying to calm himself down. 

He thinks about how he gets to see Nick in less than an hour. 48 hours without each other feels like a lifetime, Clay doesn’t even want to imagine what graduation will be like. 

As they pull into the airport, Clay feels his phone ring, Nick.

“Hey bro, I’m just outside the terminals, you’ll see me, trust me,” he can tell Nick has a grin on his face, for what reason, Clay has no idea. 

The two pull around the corner, searching the crowd of people for the Texan. What Clay sees instead is someone he’s not expecting.


	7. Thanksgiving pt 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jealousy is not an emotion Clay enjoys. Thanksgiving for Clay and Sapnap brings up unwanted tension.
> 
> TW// this chapter includes mentions of dissociation, panic attacks, and recreational drug use

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> psa: i focused a bit on drista and sapnaps dynamic, and i want to make it so so so clear that i'm not shipping them at all, i just think would have such a good brother/sister dynamic irl and in the way im writing them. okay yeah
> 
> also this chapter is my first attempt at writing any kind of angst

George. 

“Hey that guy next to Nick looks a lot like,” Drista stops mid sentence.

“George,” falls out of Clay’s mouth. 

“Oh shit, what is he doing here?” 

“I have no fucking clue,” Clay can’t think as they pull up to the two boys.

“Suprise mother fucker,” George leans down to whisper in the blonde’s ear, “does she know?” 

Clay gives him a short nod but George doesn’t do anything else, just smiling at her and giving her a small wave, “Hey, I’m George, I’m a, a friend of Clay’s.”

“Well it’s really nice to meet you, I’m Drista, if you want to put your bags in the trunk I can open it,” she gives him a huge grin, obviously thrilled to be meeting the boys. 

“Yeah thanks, that’d be really nice,” George grabs his duffle bag from off the ground. Clay’s pretty sure he blacks out until they get home. 

“Hey honey, how’d you like your surprise?” his mom asks when she sees the boys walk through the door. 

“You knew?” 

“Why didn’t anyone tell me?” Drista complains, looking to her parents who give her a shrug. 

“Wait, you knew?” Clay repeats, this time trying to force an answer, but getting one from his friend. 

“Yeah, you think I was going to just show up with George without asking your parents, dumbass? Um- uh, Stupid,” Nick attempts to cover up his mistake but instead recieves a pat on the back from Dream’s dad. 

“How you been kid?” Dream’s dad asks the brunette who greets him with a handshake. Clay’s dad has always really liked Nick, ever since they met the man constantly asks about the brunette. “You look good, quarterback treating you well?”

“Better than I could’ve ever imagined,” Nick answers, which grants a throaty laugh from Clay’s dad, one the blonde doesn’t think he’s ever heard. 

Envy bubbles up to his throat unexpectedly, an emotion he normally doesn’t associate with Nick. He stares his father down, watching the man smile with a look of pride he doesn’t think his dad has ever had with him. A wash of sadness seems to follow, tears threatening to break free. He does the only thing he’s ever known, run. 

“I have to go, sorry, I’ll be back,” the blonde excuses himself from the group, bolting to his room once out of their view. Pain shoots up his arm as he takes the stairs two at a time. He can hear his mom call after him. 

“I’m fine, really, just forgot to do something,” he yells down, not wanting anyone following him. Well maybe not ANYone. 

But no one does. No one shows up to Clay’s door with a soft knock. No one walks in with a warm smile. No one makes their way to Clay’s bed and sits with him. No one falls asleep in his arms. It just makes Clay cry harder. He misses the way the brunette felt in his arms, in the hours of the night no one was awake but them. 

Clay falls asleep with salty tears on the corners of his mouth. His arm is sat across his stomach, his sling itching where his shirt has ridden up. 

He’s only woken by his friends hours later to eat dinner. Both ask if he’s okay and tell him they didn’t want to interrupt whatever he was doing. Clay wishes they would have. 

“Hey Nick, can you tell my parents we'll be down in a minute? I need to talk to George,” Clay requests as the three start to walk out of his room, “Hey, stay here for a second,” this time Clay directs the ask to George.

“Yeah, okay,” Nick says to his friend before continuing downstairs. George looks nervously at the taller man, but quickly follows him and shuts the door behind the two. 

Clay’s good arm goes straight to the boy’s waist. He pulls at the boys belt loop and the smaller man nearly flies into him. He hits Clay’s bad arm, yet the blonde doesn’t even feel it, all he can focus on is getting George as close to him as possible. 

“Clay, what are you doing?” George quickly finds out for himself as the blonde attacks his lips with his own. The brunette melts, wrapping his arms around the tall man’s neck. “I missed you too Dream.”

Clay looks down to the boy in surprise, “What did you just call me?” 

“Dreamie,” George giggles before giving the taller man several pecks on the cheek, “I missed you so much.” Looking into the brunette’s eyes, he sees a glossy red finish on both of them.

“Did you get high with Nick?” Clay already knows the answer, “and where did you two get weed? And also how are you here again? Didn’t you go to London?”

All of Clay’s confusion comes spilling out at once, George just laughing and holding his hand, walking him to his bed. 

“Yes, I’m sorry, He brought a dab pen on the plane, I lied about going to London, I actually flew to my aunt’s house in Georgia and stayed there for a few days, then I met up with Nick at the airport here, does that answer all of your questions?” George explains, Clay's confusion turning to happiness.

“Yes it does, thank you for being here, I really missed you,” Clay knows the boys should be getting down to dinner, but for now he’ll spend as much time alone with the brunette as possible. 

“Hey Clay? You didn’t tell me your sister was so cool,” George grins to the man, who just rolls his eyes.

“Why does everyone think that? You guys are the worst,” Clay scoffs before standing up, “We need to get down before my dad shows up or even worse, Nick,” which gets a laugh out of the man sitting in front of him. He offers a hand, one that George gladly accepts.

The two reluctantly let go of each other when they step out of Clay’s room. Making their way downstairs, Clay turns to look at the boy several times, staring at his flushed cheeks and bright eyes. 

“Do you think I’m going to go missing or something?” George asks after Clay does it for the third time at the bottom of the stairs.

“God, I hope not,” Clay gives him a wink with the response, George’s face turning red at the flirty comment. 

The blonde turns back around, rounding the corner to see everyone already eating.

“Hey boys, I hope you don’t mind, I didn’t want the food going cold,” Clay’s dad informs with a smile.

Nick’s sitting across from Drista, an extra chair next to both of them. Clay knows he shouldn’t care that Nick’s in his seat, it shouldn’t matter to him, ‘it doesn’t matter to me,’ but the lump in his throat tells him otherwise. He plasters on a fake smile for his family, focusing on his father seated at the head of the table. 

“Food’s on the counter, it’s taco night,” his mother says with a warm smile. George says a quick thank you before turning to the kitchen counter behind them. Clay seems to be stuck just looking at his family, the fake grin having dissolved from his face. This time his eyes land on Nick, anger bubbling up in his chest. 

“Here, Clay, here’s a plate,” George’s soft voice pulls him out of his thoughts. The doe eyed boy looks to him lovingly, everything about him reminding Clay to keep his cool. 

The two men stand side by side while getting food, George looking up to him, Clay refusing to meet his eyes. 

He hears what sounds like tableware hitting plates and a chair being moved. He feels an arm on his good shoulder, Nick’s voice coming from behind him.

“Hey bro, are you okay? You look really out of it,” his words ring in Clay’s ears. Emotions swirl in his stomach, the new feelings about his best friend have him confused and angry. There’s no rational explanation he can come up in his head to justify his emotions about Nick. He’s just angry because he’s angry.

He nods his head to get them both off his back. Finishing loading food onto his plate, he takes a seat next to his sister, the only person at the table that doesn’t look at him like he’s something fragile. 

She just smiles at him, asking him if he can pass her a napkin. She always seems to know exactly what to do in every situation. 

“So, boys, it’s lovely to have you all here, George, it’s great to meet you,” all three turn to Clay’s mom who’s beaming at them. Both Nick and George thank her for having them, Clay just looks at his friends interacting with his parents better than he has in years. For the first time in several years, he just wants to spend the holidays with his family. Alone.

“So George, where are you applying to next year?” Clay’s dad immediately pries, the blonde’s face burning up when he hears his dad ask.

“Oh, I’m taking a year off to work for my dad,” George’s plan unknown to Clay until then, who just smiles at the boy. In reality he wants to scream.

The rest of the dinner is spent with Clay’s dad asking a variety of questions to the boy’s friends. Clay’s brain fills with static, his movements becoming subconscious. 

George is staring at the blonde the whole time, a worried look has been painted on his face since they got downstairs. Clay chooses to ignore him, he would rather not break out crying at the dinner table. He knows George’s sorrowful eyes will do that to him.

“Hey mom, can we be excused?” Clay croaks out after a silence had fallen over the table.

“Yes, of course, go have fun,” his mom gives the men a pleasant smile.

The three boys excuse themselves and head up to Clay’s room. On the way up the stairs Clay realizes that he doesn’t even know the boys’ sleeping arrangement.

“Are you guys both sleeping in the guest bedroom?” Clay turns to look at the brunettes following him.

“I’m taking the couch and George was going to take the bed,” Nick explains, obviously aware of Clay’s disappointment, “You can just sneak in,” by then the boys were in Clay’s room, Nick on his bed and the two boys on his beanbag. Clay’s good arm is slung around George’s waist, ever so often squeezing it.

A knock on the door causes him to retract his arm, but when his younger sister ends, it returns to its original position. 

“Hey kid, how’s highschool?” Nick gives her a cheeky smile.

“You’re two years older than me... kid,” Drista snaps back, mocking Nick’s words. 

“Aw Drista, I know you missed me it’s okay,” the brunette jokes, earning an eye roll from Clay’s sister.

“Yeah, yeah, okay, I only came in because I was going to go out for a night swim with some friends and was wondering if you guys wanted to come?” the girl puts the offer on the table, watching as all three boys look at each other and decide.

They seem to all understand each other’s eyes, granting her a yes, and asking when.

“We’ll leave at dusk, we’re heading to a beach like thirty minutes from here, don’t embarrass me Clay.”

Instead of him answering, Nick steps in, “Oh trust me, we will,” earning just another eye roll from the girl. 

As Drista leaves, Clay realizes they may have run into a problem, “Hey George, did you bring something to swim in?” the question being answered with a nod he can feel against his side.

“Nick told me to buy some while I was in Georgia,” George explains, Clay silently thanking Nick for remembering something for once. 

“Well we have some time, y'all wanna watch a movie?” Nick inquires, the other two quickly agreeing and Clay turns on the TV across from his bed. 

The three men spend the next several minutes deciding what to watch, landing on an episode of New Girl to pass the time. George huddles closer to Clay, the blonde’s thumb running slowly against his side. Nick tries his best to pretend the men aren’t basically eye fucking eachother, although it proves to be a struggle. 

Drista appears in the doorway about five episodes later, baggy shirt and shorts on, “Have you guys not changed yet? Oh my gosh, go, go, go, Hannah is picking us up in like ten minutes.” 

Nick is the first to get up, telling the other boys that he’ll be in the upstairs bathroom. George and Clay stare at one another for a few moments, the brunette eventually caving in and standing up.

“I’m just gonna change in the guest bedroom, I’ll be back,” George turns to leave before Clay sticks an arm up, “Oh yeah shit, right,” George looking back to pull the blonde up from his seat. 

Clay knows he won’t be able to swim so instead, he grabs an eighth from the ounce he has stored away for home visits.

The group all hear Drista call from downstairs, Clay greeting his sister first, and informs her that the other two are still changing, “I thought you said we had more time.”

“Yeah well I can’t predict the future,” Drista groans, she’s been much snappier to her brother this visit. Clay tries to brush it off, excusing it on stress and school. 

The distinct footsteps of Nick and George walking down to the siblings fills the house, both greeting the duo with smiles. 

“Ready?” Clay asks, looking around the group for confirmation that he receives through nods. 

The group makes their way to the Jeep now parked in their driveway, two girls sitting in the front seats. When the group opens the door they’re greeted with two more faces, boys that look closer to Clay’s age than his sister. 

“How are we gonna fit?” one of the strangers asks. 

“Drista could sit on my lap?” the other boy asks.

“Not gonna happen buddy,” Clay retorts with a smirk, Drista shooting him a death glare, “here, Drista can sit in between me and Nick, and George can sit on someone's lap,” Clay offers, not wanting to specify the someone. 

“Wonder who that’ll be,” Nick scoffs, and it seems like death glares run in the family. 

The four pile into the way back, George resting comfortably on Dream’s lap. Drista looks visibly uncomfortable, wanting to say something but not wanting to out her brother,,,,, duh.

Clay’s good arm wraps around George’s waist, gradually getting tighter the longer they drive. His chin is rested on the brunette’s shoulder, occasionally leaving a small kiss to his shoulder when everyone is too distracted. Loud rap music fills the car, but all the blonde can hear is the shorter man’s slow breathing next to his ear. 

They arrive at the beach after a quick trip to McDonald’s, only a few other groups of teens litter the beach. Drista runs off with her friends, leaving the three boys alone.

“I can’t really swim, so I think I’m just gonna go smoke,” Clay tells his friends who give him a sad look, “guys, it’s fine, I don’t even like swimming.” 

The two give him a nod before Nick calls out to Drista. George stays behind for a few seconds, an obvious look of pity in his eyes.

“Georgie,” the brunette immediately softening at the nickname, “go have fun, I’m going to be rolling for a bit anyways,” Clay says, pulling out the weed and a few cones from his jean pocket. George gives him a quick nod, followed by a peck on the cheek. Clay feels a blush bloom on his face, giving the brunette one back, a similar color appearing on the boy’s face. 

The blonde watches the two make their way to his sister and her friends. Clay is left sitting on the ground, losing extreme amounts of weed while trying to stuff his joints. The man watches the variety of teenagers on the beach, two girls stand towards the edge of the water kissing, a large group of friends are kicking over sandcastles from the day before, every one of them seem blissful and carefree. 

Clay’s glance turns to George, now shirtless and running to the water with Drista’s friends. His smile is bright, skin soft in the sunset. 

After his doing rolling he calls out to the group, the only responses coming from the boys Drista brought, both coming over and asking for some.

“This is gonna sound so mean, but are you allowed? Like will I get in trouble with my sister for this?” Clay questions both of the boys. 

“Drista? Caring about smoking? Yeah that’s gonna be a no,” one of the boys responds.

The answer takes him by surprise, he’d never thought about his sister ever being high. Just the idea scares him, trying to play it off with a laugh, “Oh yeah of course,” he chuckles.

He lights the joint, taking a few deep inhales.

“You’re Charles right?” the shorter of the boys asks.

“Clay. But everyone calls me Dream,” the blonde clarifies, partiality annoyed. 

“Oh sorry, I’m shit at names, nice to meet you Dream, I’m Ashton and this is Dawson, we’re both juniors,” the man explains.

“Nice to meet you, yeah, I haven’t been around for a few years so I’m not surprised we haven’t met yet, how did you meet my sister?” Clay attempts to interrogate the boys without making it too obvious. 

The other boy, Ashton, nods, explaining, “The girls, the one next to Drista is my girlfriend, Hannah, they met in Spanish class, and we got to know your sister through that, she’s pretty cool.”

Clay’s defense lowers at the mention of Ashton’s girlfriend. He gives them both a smile, he’s proud that his sister has been able to make friends, he’s just not sure how he feels about them.

“Yeah, she’s, yeah,” the words won’t appear on Clay’s tongue, so he trails off, looking at the sand.

“Clay, Clay, Clay, my man,” Nick’s voice brings his head back up, “hand that shit over.”

Clay skips the other boys in the rotation with ease, a breath of relief leaving his lungs when he sees his friends. George appears behind Nick, hair wet, droplets running down his chest. Clay’s pants tighten, bending his knees and crossing them in front of him. 

“Sorry, I never caught your names,” George looks at the boys next to them who introduce themselves. Jealousy comes back to Clay, the familiarity of the emotion making him sick to his stomach. 

Nick passes the joint to George who takes it gladly. He does several smoke tricks while hitting it, a talent Dream didn’t know the boy had. Everyday the blonde feels like he finds new information about his friends. Maybe he just hasn’t been paying attention to them. 

Dream pulls out the other joint he had stuffed, lighting it then handing it to Ashton. 

“Here, you two can split that,” Clay sees the boys’ faces light up at his offer. 

“You good with us sharing with the girls?”

“Drista!” Clay calls out to his sister who runs over to them, closely followed by the other girls, when they arrive, Clay immediately presses Drista, “so you smoking?” 

A glare is shared between Dawson and his sister, the boy obviously unaware that Clay didn’t know his sister smoked. Instead of fighting, Drista just shrugs and mumbles something inaudible. 

The group of kids pass two joints between them all, Clay keeping an eye on his sister the entire time. George breaks out into a coughing fit, breaking Clay out of his focus. 

“Go get water, there’s an ocean right there,” Nick teases at the boy who punches him in the arm. 

“I-fucking-hate-you,” George chokes out between coughs. Clay just laughs at his friends, the interaction reminding him of the peace Cortona brings him. He misses Tommy and Tubbo’s interactions in the morning, misses Wilbur’s advice, Techno’s ability to center everyone. These weeks are the worst for Clay, at this point his school friends have become his family. 

“Here have some of mine,” one of Drista’s friends offers her water bottle to the brunette.

The group spends another few hours on the beach, George and Clay end up laying on a blanket watching the stars for most of it, the blonde keeping a close eye on his sister. On the way back to Clay’s house the group sings throwbacks, laughing at Nick’s rendition of All Star by Smash Mouth. George dancing in Clay’s lap has the blonde tensing up, gripping so hard on the brunette’s waist he thinks there will be a bruise. 

“Clay, that hurt, are you okay?” George looks around to look at the green eyed man. 

Clay leans in close, not daring to let anyone hear, “Baby, you need to stop moving or I swear I’m just going to ruin you here,” he feels George’s body freeze, not knowing what the next best move is. 

Disappointment and relief wash over the blonde’s body as George stops his movements, opting to hold Clay’s good hand. The blonde can see his sister glance down to their intertwined fingers, a warm smile flooding her face. 

The Jeep pulls into their driveway minutes later, the group climbing out of the back and saying their goodbyes. Clay does his best to get Dawson alone, leaning over to the boy and putting on his most intimidating face before uttering, “Watch yourself, I can get a flight home anytime,” which is followed by a quick nod from the man.

Thanksgiving day comes faster than expected, the boys spending most of their days watching movies and exploring Clay’s home town. 

Thursday morning the three boys are woken up, all groggily meeting one another in the bathroom. Clay’s sweatpants are riding low and his toned body is on full display for George. The blonde catches the shorter man’s gaze dragging down to his abdomen. 

The three brush their teeth in silence, the usual routine for the men. Drista barges in yelling about needing to shower, so the three men clear out. 

“My cousins normally come around 11, my grandparents around 1, it’s not super serious, we do a really casual Thanksgiving,” Clay informs the two boys next to him. 

Clay wears black jeans with a navy blue button up to match his sling. He asks George to roll up his sleeve, his soft fingers running gently up his forearm. 

“Are you nervous Georgie?” Clay leans down to whisper in the man’s ear. The two are sitting in the blonde’s room, Nick in the bathroom doing his hair, something that takes a lot longer than it should. Clay’s fingers are playing with the ends of the brunette’s hair. 

“A little, do you think I’m dressed appropriately?” George asks with wide eyes. His outfit consists of a dark purple sweater and black dress pants, a darker feel than usual but Clay thinks he looks beautiful.

“You look really nice baby,” Clay leaves several kisses on the boys cheek and neck, before being rudely interrupted by Nick sauntering in, his grown out hair slicked back slightly. He looks older than usual, his stubble peeking out. 

“Look who’s all grown up,” the blonde teases his best friend.

“You’re just mad I look better than you, I mean, come on, look at me,” Nick gives the boys a twirl. 

A loud shout from downstairs brings the boy’s attention to Clay’s mom. 

“Boys, Clay, your cousins are here,” the three boys look at eachother, obviously all nervous for what the day has in store. The tallest leads the way downstairs, mentioning his cousin’s names briefly but not long enough for either of the two to remember. 

“Clay!” His aunt, dressed in what looks like her Sunday best, is holding her arms out to the boy. It’s not that Clay doesn’t like his extended family, but their classic southern drawl and old fashion tendencies never sat right with him. And it definitely doesn’t with George standing next to him. 

He wishes he could walk downstairs hand in hand with George. Wish he could give him kisses on the cheek at the dinner table, wishes he could hold him while they watch football games. His heart aches as his relatives give him hugs, asking him about school, the answers coming out of Clay’s mouth like they were scripted. 

The family has known Nick for years and once again Dream is left feeling second best. He clings to George, close enough to not lose him, not close enough for his parents to say anything. The two start watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade, George pointing out all of his favorite balloons, giving commentary on the performances as well. The blonde not being able to share a part of their relationship has Clay’s eyes welingl up with tears, fighting desperately to stop one from dropping. He’s not sure why he’s crying, it’s an event that’s happened too much for his liking recently.

“Clay? Hey, what's wrong?” he feels the brunette place a hand on his knee. He jerks away on instinct and a pained look washes over George’s face, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to,” George starts to apologize.

“No, I’m sorry, I just need a minute,” he excuses himself, wiping away his tears before telling his mom he has a headache. 

The blonde takes the steps two at a time, nearly crashing into his cousin walking down them. His oldest cousin, Sam, sees the boy’s flushed face and pained look.

“Hey, are you okay?” 

“Hey, Sam, dude how have you been?” Clay tries to lighten his voice, digging his fingernails into the palm of his good arm. 

“Good, yeah, it’s good to see you, how’s school?” The man towers over Clay, and everyone else in his family for that matter. He and Clay were close growing up, they went to summer camp together and were the trouble makers of the family. 

“It’s alright, as good as it could be,” Clay gives the boy a sheepish smile. 

“Fair enough, and who’s the other guest this year? George right?” Sam’s eyes glint with something Clay can’t put his finger on. 

“Yeah, he was new at Cortona this year,” Clay tries to hide the blush creeping up to his face. He knows he’s failed and excuses himself from the conversation, “I’ll be right back sorry, I just need to go to the bathroom,” he lies. 

“Sounds good, see you,” Sam continues downstairs, but before he leaves Clay can catch a confused look on his face. 

His panic escalates as he pushes himself into the bathroom. Stomach churning, he props himself up on the counter, something he hasn’t done since he was a little kid. Sitting criss crossed facing himself, his stare into his reflection is so intense he thinks it may break the mirror. 

The last time he had done this was right before he left for Cortona. His dad had yelled at him for forgetting his football gear at home before practice. When they came back to get it, Clay’s dad had refused to take him back, instead yelling at the young boy for upwards of an hour. Even then, Clay tried to convince himself that his dad was just angry about other things, that he didn’t actually mean the things he said. He sat in his bathroom, staring at his reflection for hours after, talking to himself, convincing himself that none of this mattered, that nothing mattered. The longer he would stare the less real he would feel, and when he thinks back on it, it was the first time he felt high. 

He doesn’t realize how much time has passed until a knock breaks him from his thoughts. Sam opens the door and seems startled by the blonde’s position. 

“Hey sorry, you were just gone for a bit, your mom wanted someone to check on you,” Sam explains. Clay’s confused why Nick or George didn’t come, but that train of thought is cut off when both of the boys peek their heads around the doorframe.

“Hey Clay, you good bud?” Nick has a worried look on his face, “you’ve been gone for like half an hour.”

‘Half an hour?’

He knows his parents must be furious with him, making him want to stay in the bathroom for even longer. 

“Oh sorry, I just started thinking, you know how I get distracted,” he tries to brush it off, he can tell all three don’t believe him. They just nod their heads and Clay gets off the counter. The four start to head downstairs before Sam pulls his arm to stay back.

“Can we talk real quick?” 

“Yeah of course, boys, tell my parents that we’ll be down soon, and actually this time,” Clay tries to give the two a light laugh. They agree, heading downstairs, Clay’s pretty sure he can hear them whispering on the way down. He turns to Sam who gestures to the blonde’s room. 

“Hey Clay, can you be honest with me?” Sam has a soft look on his face. 

“Honestly, it depends on what you want to know,” Clay tells him truthfully, he knows there are lines he can’t bring himself to cross.

“Understandable, are you okay? Like with your family and stuff, you seem really out of it, even with Nick, the other times he’s been here you two don’t separate,” Sam spills, coming off harsher than he probably intended. Clay knows the man’s intentions are good, at least he wants to believe they are.

“You can talk to me Clay, I know it’s not the same as when we were little, but you’re still my favorite relative dude,” Sam adds. 

“I know, if you want honesty, I have to hide some stuff from my family and it sucks, I don’t want to have to lie to them,” Clay finally confesses, trying to be as vague as possible.

“Okay... Well does Nick know? And George?” 

“Definitely,” Clay scoffs. 

“That’s good at least, you don’t need to tell me or anything, I get it,” Sam expresses, the words Clay needs to hear to tell him.

He doesn’t think before he speaks this time. Doesn’t think about the lines he can’t be crossing, all he wants is the weight from his shoulders to leave.

“I’m dating George, well not exactly, it’s not official,” Clay finally feels the anvil lift from his chest with the words. 

“Oh,” the tall man pauses, “Well, I get why you can’t tell my family at least,” Sam chuckles and Clay lets out his first real laugh of the day. 

“Yeah, I don’t think now is the best time to tell the rest of my family, I don’t want to make things bad with him here, that’s not fair,” Clay shrugs, not knowing what to say next.

“We should go downstairs, but just so you know, you’re still my favorite relative,” Sam gives him an awkward pat on the back, the two breaking out in laughter at the interaction. 

The rest of the day goes much smoother, the four boys end up getting wine drunk in Clay’s basement. Nick and Sam are in the middle of debating who has to go ask for another bottle when Clay gives George a small kiss on the cheek.

“What the fuck are you doing Clay?” George pulls away, “dude what was that?”

Clay freezes for a moment before remembering he forgot to tell George what he and Sam had talked about.

“Oh, I know,” Sam explains for the blonde, looking to the ground after the statement.

“Clay you told him? Without asking me?” George’s face twists in a way Clay’s never seen before. Anger. 

“I didn’t think you’d mind, I told Drista and you didn’t care,” Clay’s words are starting to slur. 

“Yeah, cause she’s your sister, not your homophobic cousin,” George spits out, face getting red.

“Hey, watch yourself,” Sam starts to interrupt, but George cuts him off quickly, “Shut the fuck up.” The brunette storms upstairs, Clay thinks he can see tears in the brunette’s eyes as he runs out. He’s not sure whether to run after him or not.

“I’m sorry Clay,” Sam starts apologizing, for what reason, Clay isn’t sure. 

“You didn’t do anything, I promise, and I’m sure he didn’t mean what he said, he doesn't know you very well,” Clay tries to assure the boy who just looks at him blankly. 

Clay’s drunken state is only getting worse. He manages to stand up, only tripping once on the way to the stairs. He mumbles out, “I’m gonna go talk to George, I’ll be back.” 

The blonde gets up both flights of stairs with little issue, standing outside the guest room he contemplates knocking. 

“You can come in if you’re just going to stand there all night,” George’s voice rings out, the words bringing Clay back to months earlier. He remembers the same jelly feelings in his legs. 

The blonde opens the door to see the brunette, glassy eyed sitting on the bed. 

“I’m really sorry George, I wasn’t thinking, I’m really sorry,” Clay repeats his apology at the end, the words he wants to say won’t come to mind. 

“If he would have reacted badly not only would you be out to the rest of your family but so would I,” George croaks out, tears start to spill at the end of the statement. 

The possible effect of Clay’s actions hadn’t dawned on him until now. He rushes to George’s side who pulls away again, shattering the blonde. 

“Can you just, can you just leave me alone?” 

Clay cries himself to sleep that night, he never returns to his friends, doesn’t say goodbye to his relatives when his mom calls for him. 

The three are on the way to the airport the next day when George finally says something to Clay.

“Do you have a phone charger? I think I accidentally left mine at your place,” George offers him an obviously fake smile, it crushes Clay even more.

“Yeah, it’s in my suitcase, I’ll grab it when we get to the airport.”

Nick sits in between the boys on the flight back to Cortona, he attempts to talk to both of the boys, not getting much out of the blonde. Clay doesn’t want to make things worse, so when he hears the boys talking to each other, he opts to put his headphones in and blast rap music as loud as possible.


	8. Inbetweeners

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clay's emotions turn to anger. George won't even look at the blonde.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS CHAPTER IS INCREDIBLY SHORT AND IM SORRY, BUT I NEED TO DO ANOTHER SET UP CHAPTER, SORRY YALL <3
> 
> CHAPTER 9 WILL BE THE LONGEST CHAPTER YET, IT WILL PROBABLY BE ALMOST 10k WORDS LOL BUT UM FOR NOW HERES THE INTRO TO THAT :)

Football has become Clay’s least favorite activity. Although he’s out of his sling, he’s still got 4 weeks until it’s even a possibility he can be cleared to play. Games are the worst, George cheering his team on, Clay staring at him from the bench the entire time. The brunette blatantly trying to avoid eye contact. 

Their friend group had just assumed that something bad had happened when the two showed up the Monday after break. The two had refused to get within ten feet of each other, at that point the two didn’t dare even looking at the other. 

Clay’s laying in his bed when a knock that he hadn’t heard in years rings through the room. Four fast knocks followed by two loud slaps has him bolting out of his comfortable position.

‘What is Techno doing here?’

The blonde opens the door to find Techno accompanied by a much taller, younger man. Ranboo is standing behind the pink haired man, a concerned look painted on his face.

“Hey, can we come in?” Techno gets straight to the point.

“Yeah, I’m not gonna lie, when I heard the knock I was a little shocked,” Clay confesses, the two not having been close since an incident their junior year. 

“Yeah, I just have been meaning to talk to you, I just, Clay you’re not okay, you can’t keep wallowing in your room. You need to do something about the way you’re feeling,” Techno’s words strike too true to Clay and he can’t hold it in anymore. Which is why he has to explain to his dorm parent why there is a fist sized hole in the wall. 

“Sorry about last night,” Clay apologizes to Ranboo and Technoblade the next morning. Both boys shrug it off, Ranboo saying something about how he thought it was a good thing.

George no longer walks up with the boys to school. Occasionally he’ll walk out at the same time as the boys are leaving, almost always turning around as if he forgot something. 

Quackity and the brunette have still been spending lots of time with each other, the two’s friendship never bothers Clay, just makes him feel bad that they can’t hang out when the blonde is around. 

A voice calls out to the boy as he’s entering the school building, “Hey Clay! Wait up,” Clay turns to be met with a familiar purple haired girl. Minx is followed closely by Schlatt, the last person Clay wants to see. He’s done his best avoiding both him and George the last month, not wanting to make anything worse. 

“Oh hey, you guys go ahead without me,” he glances back at his friends waiting up, Nick looking confused as ever. They all nod, Wilbur reminding the blonde that he has to meet with Mr. Young with him at breakfast. 

“What’s up?” Clay asks the two now standing in front of him. Minx has a small smile on her face, Schlatt looking stone faced and indifferent. 

“Well, so funny story, big man over here,” Minx gestures to the man next to her, “got an ounce last night, and I know you can’t play right now,” nodding to Clay’s arm, “and I was just wondering if you wanted to sesh after school?”

Clay’s taken aback by the offer, an unexpected one to say the least. But he accepts, giving her a smile and thanking her for the invitation. Schlatt will be at practice, so at least he doesn’t need to deal with him.

“Oh Niki will be there too, if that’s cool?”

“Yeah of course, she seems cool, I could invite Wilbur,” Clay suggests, knowing the two have grown to be best friends since the pink haired girl started at Cortona. 

Minx grins at the idea, “Yeah, that’d be good,” and the three head up to breakfast. 

Clay sees Wilbur standing near the teacher’s table, talking to their dean. The blonde joins them, giving Mr. Young a “good morning.” 

“Morning Clay, I just wanted to remind both of you that you’re going to be showing the new kids the day you get back from Christmas break. I know it’s a lot, but you two have always been good impressions on the new students,” the dean tries to sweet talk the boys.

The two nod, heading over to grab food. 

AP Lang is Clay’s least favorite class for multiple reasons now. George sitting as far as he can away from the blonde doesn’t help the boring class. The blonde occasionally catches George staring at him, he can’t seem to read the boy’s expressions anymore. 

H'es gave up trying to smile at the boy, gave up trying to send him texts late at night, gave up on the boy as a whole. But when it’s 4 am and his ears are encased in headphones, all he can think about is going and knocking on the brunette’s room. 

The class passes slowly, as all of them do, but today Clay is actually looking forward to after school. Minx has always been a lively a fun presence for the blonde, her outgoing personality slightly scaring him. 

Minx leads the four to a place they've never been on campus. It almost offends him how a new girl could find someplace he hasn’t. A bridge that looks like it must have been there for a hundred years leads the group to a small island on the outside of a swamp. The pink haired girl with the group seems nervous, clinging onto Minx who’s telling them the story of when she found the destination.

“Schlatt was being a dick, claiming he found it before me, nah fuck him, he’s a liar,” Minx jokes to the group. 

The four spend several hours smoking, talking amongst the four about school and home life. Clay finds a new found happiness while hanging out with Minx and Niki. 

Wilbur pulls him aside on the way back to their dorms, “Hey Clay, we really need to talk, I’ve been putting this off for awhile,” Clay knows where this is going, “you need to do something about George.”

The blonde has managed to avoid this topic for almost a month, but for the second day in a row, Clay’s friends have been wanting him to fix things.

Anger bubbles within him, all he wants is for George to not be mad at him, but that’s not his choice. Wilbur’s tone is gentle, but Clay has an inability to read past the sentence within itself. His face is hot, chest on fire.

“Yeah no shit, do any of you fuckers get it? I’ve tried talking to him, he fucking hates me,” Clay spews at the taller. The blonde is expecting Wilbur to be hurt or upset, instead he just stays solemn. 

“Have you asked? Have you bothered trying?”

“Fuck you Will, you have no idea what happened,” Clay’s getting madder by the second.

“Wanna bet? Wanna bet I don’t know how you outed him to your cousin and he stormed out? Wanna bet that I don’t know that he asked you to leave? That the two of you haven’t spoken sense? Wanna fucking bet Clay?” Wilbur is the one to get mad this time. 

‘Does really everyone know?’

“Wilbur, I love you, but I’ve tried to talk to him, he doesn’t want to talk,” Clay tries to shove the topic off.

“When was the last time you tried? Because according to everyone in your life, it was Thanksgiving. George cares about you, but he’s not going to go out of the way to talk to you unless you try to talk to him,” Wilbur continues with his bluntness. 

Clay’s fury spills into his stomach the same time his high does. 

The group splits up at the bottom of the hill, the girls and Wilbur heading to Niki’s dorm, Clay to his. The blonde is on his way inside when a brunette is on his way out. George runs straight into Clay, red faced and panting.

“Sorry, didn’t see you,” George keeps his eyes locked on the ground.

“George, wait,” Clay tries to call out, but the man continues his way out, “George! Please!”

The brunette finally stops, turning around with a sad look, “Clay, please, just, I thought we both had finished this.”

“Finished what? You haven’t looked at me since Thanksgiving,” Clay nearly pleads. He doesn’t have enough words to tell the man how much he misses him, how much he longs to see him.

“You had plenty of time to talk to me when we got back and you didn’t,” George tries to leave but once again Clay is yelling after him.

“You told me to leave you alone! I didn’t know what to do, George I miss you,” Clay is on the verge of tears this time, he hears a door open and spots Karl and Nick starting to walk out of Sapnap’s dorm. They quickly register what’s happening and freeze.

George also halts at Clay’s confession, the blonde is pretty sure he can see tears well up in the boy’s eyes. 

“I miss you too, but we can’t even be honest with our families,” the two are nearly screaming at each other by now, several other students peering out windows at the noise.

“George if what you want is for me to tell my parents I’m gay, I’ll fucking fly home to tell them face to face, I don’t care, I just miss you,” Clay has wet streaks down his face by now, vision blurry and nose stuffing up. 

The brunette finally gives in, slowly walking to the blonde. Clay can see Karl and Nick whispering to each other, a large hickey on Karl’s neck is visible even from Clay’s distance. Nick notices him looking over and gives him a weak thumbs up.

“Can we go inside?” George won’t look at the blonde.

“Yeah, yes, please, my room?” Clay offers.

“The common room is fine, we can just sit on the couch,” George’s standoffish behavior not boding well for Clay. No matter, the man agrees, near desperately. 

The two sit, Clay’s body shifted so he can look at the boy, George still looking at the ground facing forward.

“Clay, look, I loved you,” and with that the blonde is gone and another hole appears in his wall moments later.


	9. Start Over

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> George and Clay start to rekindle what they once had.
> 
> This chapter contains light smut, nothing graphic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so sorry this took forever, wanted it to be the best chapter yet! also ik i said i wanted this to be 10k words, but this chapter would end up being 22k words if i didn't split up the chapters
> 
> initially i wanted to write actual smut and ive found that i just cant, so it's like right on the line i would say

“Fuck,” Clay mutters under his breath, hand already swelling.

“This is why we can’t work Clay,” he hears a small voice behind him. His face gets hot, embarrassment is the only thing he can sense, “you can’t just go around punching walls when I say something you don’t like.”

“Get the fuck out of my room,” Clay can feel himself getting angrier every second George is in his sight.

“So you want to talk, you beg me, and then I’m honest and you get mad, and now you’re the one telling me to get out? Fuck you Clay,” George’s face is skewed with fury.

“You’re so fucking full of it George, you knew exactly what you were going to say, you knew how I would react-,” he’s cut off by the brunette nearly screaming at him.

“No Clay, I didn’t know you were going to react like a fucking toddler,” both boys are starting to attract their dorm mates, Clay can hear doors open throughout the house. 

“Just fucking leaeve, I’m so tired of you being around,” Clay’s words cut much deeper than he intends. 

“Well you’re certain a pleasure to have around,” George tries to deflect his words with sarcasm, just pissing Clay off even more. 

George starts to leave, and on instinct Clay reaches for him. He manages to catch the bottom hem of George’s navy blue tshirt, the brunette jerks at the reaction. The blonde is even more startled at his actions than George, immediately letting go and staring at the ground.

“You literally just told me to leave, Clay, this is the shit I’m talkin-,” George is the one who is cut off this time. 

“Lay with me.”

"Lay with you? Clay we haven't spoken in a month and you want me to sleep with you," George's face is full of confusion but he stays in the blonde's room.

"I don't want to sleep with you, I want to lay with you," Clay clarifies once.

“What?” The brunette’s face is full of confusion.

“Lay with me, just for ten minutes, please, I won’t lay a hand on you if you want, please,” Clay’s on the verge of begging again. 

“Ten minutes?” George’s nervousness is visible, his question coming out croaked. 

“Please, I miss you Georgie, a lot,” Clay’s eyes finally meet the brunette. He looks tired, eyes pooled with darkness, a lot more lifeless than Clay remembers. 

The shorter man doesn't say anything, instead stepping into Clay’s room and shutting the door behind him. George makes his way to Clay’s twin bed, laying down facing the wall. 

Clay lays down next to him, not sure what to do next. George’s hand reaches out to grab the blonde’s forearm, wrapping it around his waist. George’s back is pressed against Clay’s chest, their breathing in rhythm. 

“I’m sorry George, I’m so sorry,” Clay whispers to the boy, rubbing his thumb against George’s stomach. 

George nods slightly, his small fingers wrapping around Clay’s wrist. The blonde feels his hand being removed from the boy and he thinks he’s crossed a line. Instead, it’s brought up to George’s mouth, a small kiss being planted to Clay’s palm. 

“I know you are Clay, I just can’t do this right now, I’m sorry,” George mumbles softly, continuing to hold the blonde. Clay feels himself finally start to break, a lump showing up in his throat. He doesn’t stop the tears this time, wet spots forming on George’s shirt. He feels the boy turn towards him, Clay clamps his eyes shut, not daring to meet his gaze.

A cold hand is pressed to his cheek, tears wiped away gently. 

“Clay, please, I hate seeing you like this,” George’s eyes start filling as well, only making the blonde feel worse. 

“Please don’t cry Georgie, it’s not your fault, I fucked up,” Clay chokes out, burying his head in George’s shoulder, the two crying in silence for a while.

“I missed you,” the brunette finally says after several minutes. The word choice brings hope to Clay’s heart. The blonde can only think about how George’s lips felt on his, soft and warm, neither things Clay would associate with himself. He misses the way they balanced one another out. His thoughts bring him to a land where they still are together, today being just another day that they spend lying in bed, holding hands and trading comforting whispers.  
Clay’s eyes are locked on George’s lips, but when he finally goes to meet the brunette’s gaze, he sees the smaller man’s vision glancing at the blonde’s mouth. 

When they finally bring their eyes to meet one another, neither can come up with anything to say, neither wanting to make the move they’re thinking about.

Clay’s eyes glance down to the boy’s lips again. He can see George’s face burst into flames, a blush creeping down to his throat. His Adam’s apple bobs, a small breath escaping.

“I’m sorry Georgie,” Clay whispers before crashing his lips to the boy. The brunette doesn’t fight it, just staying frozen against the blonde’s mouth. After a moment, the taller pulls away, a nervous look on his face, “I’m really sorry, I shouldn’t have done that.”

The brunette seems flustered, opening his mouth to say something, nothing coming out. Instead he pulls Dream’s green hoodie close to him, bringing their lips back together. Clay melts into the boy as a pair arms wrap around his neck. 

“Clay,” George exhales with the blonde’s name, “We can’t keep starting like this.” 

The blonde knows he’s right, knows the two men keep starting with unofficial kisses and confusing emotions. His heart swells with hurt again, just wanting to be able to cherish the boy for a moment. 

“I miss you so much,” the words spill out of Clay’s mouth, not knowing where to start, definitely unaware of where to end.

Silence is deafening for the two, Clay desperately wanting the boy to talk to him.

“Ten minutes, then we talk,” George rolls back on his side, Clay returning his arm wrapped around the smaller. The warm winter reminds Clay of his freshman year. 

His first taste of freedom at 14 had allowed him to finally feel alive. He had met Wilbur and Techno in his dorm, the three boys having gotten along quite well since they first met. Mischief coursed through all of their veins, a need for fun. Recalling the time has a lump in his throat again. 

‘Clay walked into his dorm room, a palette of orange wood and ugly gray curtains slamming into his vision. He felt like crying, running, and hiding in his dad’s car. The room couldn’t have been bigger 10 feet by 5, barely fitting a dresser and bed. A voice had called behind him, a low tone ringing in the dorm. Clay turned to see a tall boy, pink hair, carrying boxes up the stairs. A young girl had trailed next to him, his tone only seeming to change for her. He looked young, but there was a certain maturity in the way he walked amongst everyone. Clay had gone to grab another box from his car when the boy and an equally tall friend approached the blonde. The boy sported a yellow beanie, glasses covering a large part of his face. The two asked Clay where he was from and if he was new, the boys informing him of their names, Wilbur and Technoblade. Apparently they were also freshmen, having met each other when they toured the prior summer. The first semester of their year, the three reeked more havoc on the school than the admins would admit. Overtime, the two boys Clay had met matured beyond their years, the blonde feeling left behind.’ 

Cold fingertips snap him out of the memory, a certain urgency in the touch. Time must have passed, as George starts to unravel the blonde’s arm. George’s lips meet Clay’s cheek, a certain goodbye in the language. 

“Don’t go, please,” Clay can’t bear to lose the man again.

“Clay,” the brunette has a sense of pain in his voice.

“Georgie,” Dream attempts to sway the man with a loving tone, “five more minutes, and then you can leave. I promise.”

The two fall asleep wrapped around one another.

Dusk has settled by the time the blonde wakes up, Clay thanking whatever controls the universe that the brunette is still there. It’s another hour before George is up, no words being spoken between the two. On the way out of the blonde’s dorm, the boy grabs a green sweatshirt from the back of Clay’s gaming chair, not saying anything before leaving. A ding from Clay’s phone emits throughout the room a few minutes after George leaves.

Nick informs the man that the rest of the group was hopping onto Minecraft. Clay’s computer boots to life, the blonde slumping into his chair. Loud voices explode from the group’s Discord call, what sounds like Tommy and Sapnap yelling at one another.

“Hey boys,” Clay has to say quite loudly, the boys returning his introduction. 

“Clay, I had the best idea, VC 2 real quick,” Nick informs the blonde, Clay dragging his cursor over to change channels.

The familiar ding rings through Clay’s headphones, “Hey bro, I need to tell you about this thing I thought of,” Nick sounds more lively than usual, a good sign to the man.

“What’s good?” Clay’s intrigued, but not enough to really pay attention.

“Okay hear me out, imagine you’re speedrunning Minecraft but someone’s trying to kill you at the same time, like to make it harder,” Nick’s voice exudes excitement. 

“Hm, I honestly don’t hate the idea, but why did we have to talk separately?”

“I was thinking you and I could try it out, I’ve been meaning to get better anyways,” the brunette suggests. 

“So I’d be hunting you? Bet.”

“Are you fucking kidding me? You’d kill me in like thirty seconds, I was more thinking the other way around,” Nick jokes the blonde actually liking his idea a lot. 

“Yeah, I’m down, now?” 

“I was kinda hoping so,” Nick’s voice has a sweet tone that is unusual for the brunette.  
“Yeah, alright, lemme play for a few minutes though, I haven’t been on in a while,” Clay half asks, half demands. He goes back to their friend group’s world, running around for a few minutes and practicing some of the basics. The blonde has improved his block clutches the last few weeks, challenging Tommy to different jumps, beating the freshman easily. 

“Who turned on hacks? Deadass,” Tommy is slowly getting more aggravated with the senior, his main goal had become killing Clay a while ago. He fails several times, eventually giving up and picking on Tubbo instead. 

A whisper shows up in Clay’s chat, Quackity asking him if it was alright if George could join. The two have apparently been playing together much more. 

Clay responds with a simple yes, moments later, a hush falls over the group’s call, a simple ding announcing George’s entrance.

Wilbur is the first one to speak up, “Oh hey Gogy, how’s it going?” 

The nickname comes as a surprise to Clay, and without thinking all he can say is, “Who the fuck is Gogy?” followed by a loud wheeze.

No one responds, everyone not sure what to say at the interaction. In his friend’s eyes, Clay still hasn’t spoken to the brunette since Thanksgiving, much less joke with him. 

“Oh hey Clay,” the silence somehow becomes louder when George’s voice comes through his headphones, “it’s just a nickname Wilbur came up with,” the brunette’s tone is lighter than anything Clay had heard in a month. 

The group is blatantly at a loss for words, Sapnap being the only one who can get something out, “Hey boys... how’s it going?”

George just laughs at Nick’s shocked tone, neither boy answers the question. Instead, Clay opts to message the boy telling him to go back to VC 2 after the group disperses. 

“Bro, what was that? Why is George here?” Nick’s voice is full of confusion, questions spilling from his mouth, “Did something happen?”

“We took a nap together,” Clay confesses. He can hear Sapnap’s headset slam onto his desk.

After a few moments he hears shuffling and Nick’s voice booms into the blonde’s ears, “Bro, what the actual fuck is wrong with you two? You took a nap together? What does that even mean?” 

The truth is embarrassing but he knows that he’ll need to tell the brunette eventually. He explains the story, from punching his wall to waking up with the boy in his arms, his best friend is quiet the whole time. 

Nick finally speaks a few moments after the blonde is done, “So are you guys, like back together or something?”

“Pretty sure he just felt bad,” a ding comes through his headphones. 

“Hey guys, Quackity was just wondering if you could go to VC 5? He needs to talk to you,” Techno’s deep voice calls out to them.

“Yeah, yeah, Nick?” Clay doesn’t wait for a response, “Knock on my window at 1, we're going out tonight,” Clay has a smirk plastered on his face. 

Long hours on the server finally come to an end around midnight, Wilbur the first to leave, everyone shortly following. Clay is skimming his monitors when a Discord call catches his eye. Nick and George are talking alone, the blonde choosing to ignore it, he’s sure Nick will mention it later if it’s of importance. 

The blonde can feel sweat run down his back, desperately in need of a shower. Making his way to the bathroom, he grabs a towel and an extra change of clothes, only a little bit upset when he can’t grab his sweatshirt.

The warm water trickles down his shoulders, the tension slowly leaving them. Memories of when George would be there with him start flooding his mind. 

Remembering how soft his fingers would feel against his chest, the way the water droplets would fall down his face. He can feel the blood rush below his hips, George on his knees flashes into his head. 

Minutes later when Clay comes to his senses again, embarrassment washes over him. Guilt builds in his throat, shame following soon after. 

Knowing Nick will be there soon, he gets out of the warm water and starts to dry off. Grabbing his phone, he checks the time and sees he still has twenty minutes before his friend will be arriving. Making his way across the dimly lit hallway, towel wrapped around his waist, he opens his door and flicks on his light switch. 

As he’s putting on a sweatshirt, he thinks he can hear the fire escape opening upstairs, ‘Probably Schlatt,’ he guesses. The blonde pulls on black sweatpants and takes a seat on his bed. 

Scrolling through twitter allows the time to pass, Clay checking the time every few minutes. There’s more shuffling upstairs, Clay can tell someone is talking, but he’s too focused on his phone to really care. 

The knock on his window is louder than Clay was hoping, breaking him out of his trance to lift his shades. 

“Hey, there should be someone at your door,” is the first thing Clay is met with.

“Schlatt?” 

“Just go open it dumbass, he’s waiting,” Clay pulls himself off of the bed, trudging over to the door.

George is stood staring at the floor in front of the blonde.

“Sapnap invited me,” is all the brunette says before a smile breaks out on Clay’s face. He turns to see Nick’s head half inside his window, shit eating grin on his face.

“Hurry up you two,” Sapnap teases. Clay holds up a finger to George before turning and grabbing his shoes. They walk out in silence, the two not saying anything once they see their friend.

“Good evening boys, Clay I hope you don’t mind,” Nick gestures to the brunette next to them, “we were talking earlier and I thought it would be nice to invite him.”

“Oh yeah, definitely, it’s good to see you George,” the awkward formality of Clay’s statement causes a laugh to escape from both of the blonde’s friends.

A blush creeps up Clay’s face, he’s thankful it’s dark outside. The three start to head across campus to the bridge, none quite sure what to say. Arriving at the bridge, Nick finally breaks the silence, asking George if he wants a blunt or joint. The brunette seems grateful to be there, even more grateful that Nick bothered asking his preference. 

Clay’s talking before he realizes it, “Would you want to hotbox?”

Nick can tell the question wasn’t for him, instead just looking at George. The brunette thinks about it longer than Clay was hoping, eventually giving him a slow nod. 

“So do you want two joints then?” Nick adds in.

“Can you actually do one blunt and one joint?” George asks softly, blatantly nervous. Nick just smiles, sitting on the ground and getting to work. Sapnap has somehow managed to become even faster at rolling, the boy giving Clay both of his finished products within ten minutes. The brunette doesn’t get off the ground, instead starting on a blunt for himself. Clay gives George a questioning look, the Brit heading to the wooden shack down the path. 

The two stand outside of the outhouse for a few seconds, Clay deciding to head in first. Unlike the last time they did this, they both go in. They’re nearly touching as they stand in the dark room. 

“You can sit, if you want, I can take the ground,” George offers, Clay quickly declining. 

“Sit, I’m fine, really,” Clay insists. 

George hesitantly shifts so he can sit, Clay plopping onto the ground with a thud. Clay realizes he doesn’t have a lighter, and he’s pretty sure George sees it in his face because he grabs a lighter from his jean pocket. 

“Here,” he half tosses the Zippo to Clay, who manages to catch it in one hand. 

Flame erupts from the small silver piece, Clay bringing it to the blunt resting between his lips. George’s eyes are locked on him, somehow managing to break into Clay’s soul. The two sit in silence, passing the blunt between each other, the small shack filling with smoke. 

Clay hears Nick talking, cracking the door, he can see the man on the phone with someone, he presumes it’s Karl. The brunette turns, catching Clay’s gaze and covering the speaker on his phone. 

“Karl’s coming,” he informs in a whisper shout. Clay raises his thumb in confirmation, shutting the door again to not let too much smoke out. 

“Karl’s coming,” he relays to George. The blonde’s eyes feel heavy as he stares at the man in front of him. George smiles, obviously excited for Karl to join. The group hasn't seen much of each other since Thanksgiving, and it’s evident that George is happy to see some of them. 

It’s another few minutes of passing before Clay notices goosebumps forming on the shorter man’s arms. He can see the boy shiver slightly before George arches his back to stretch.

“Are you cold?” Clay doesn’t wait for an answer, his high consumes him, taking off his sweatshirt to hand it to the boy. The brunettes takes it at a snail pace, throwing it on. The black fabric is contrasted by George’s pale skin, the sleeves covering his hands. 

“Can you come here?” George doesn’t dare to look at the man in front of him.

The words spark memories in Clay’s mind, immediately standing up, not questioning what the boy is thinking. George stands up and for a minute the blonde thinks their lips may meet. Instead, George gestures to where he was just seated.

“George, I told you I’m fine on the ground, I don’t want you to be uncomfortable,” Clay confesses, the sentence seeming to make the Brit even more nervous. 

“Just sit Clay,” George nearly demands. The blonde gives in, sitting down, George now standing in front of him. 

The boy is ready for the brunette to take a seat in front of him, instead George gets even closer to the blonde, now in between Dream’s spread legs. 

“Can I?” George asks tentatively, what he’s about to do finally clicks in the man’s brain. Clay nods rapidly not sure where this came from. 

The Brit straddles himself on Clay’s lap, the blonde’s breath hitching as he feels the man shifting to get comfortable. He leans back, not sure what to do with his hands. Smoke swirls around the two, eyes red and mouths dry. Neither say anything, instead Clay just admires the sight in front of him.

“You’re beautiful,” spills out of him before he can stop, George just turns away. Clay feels shame bubbling in his throat again, but before it reaches his face something else does. George’s lips are pressed against the blonde’s within seconds. It takes a few moments for everything to register to Clay who wraps his arms around the man’s waist, pulling him as close as the world will allow. 

Another couple of seconds before the blonde realizes the mistake. He pulls back, George tries to lean back into him but he stops the man.

It pains every muscle in Clay’s body to say what he does, “Georgie you’re high, you would still be mad at me if you weren’t.”

Clay knows he’s right, knows George won’t admit it. 

“Come back to my dorm with me, I’ll wait till it wears off, and I swear to God Clay, I will kiss you again,” George claims, one of the more bold statements Clay’s ever heard from the boy.

“Yeah, yeah, okay,” Clay quickly agrees to the proposition. George starts to get off of the boy, Clay pulls him into one more kiss before apologizing, “Sorry, I just needed to.”

George faces flushes red at the confession. Clay’s ego inflates for the first time in weeks, whether it’s a good thing, he’s not going to think much into it. 

The two leave, cheeks red, mouths chapped. Nick and Karl are standing on the bridge, intertwined in one another's arms, lips collided together. Clay clears his throat loudly, the two pulling away.

“Sorry bro,” is all Nick says. 

“All good, George is tired, we’re going to go to his dorm,” Dream informs the two, giving Nick a look that reads “everything I just said was a fucking lie.” He’s pretty sure his friend understands, giving them a nod.

“We’re gonna smoke for a bit longer, if you need anything just text us,” Karl, face still beet red, adds. 

The four go their separate ways, Clay turning back to look at the two, already back in their earlier position. For some reason, the blonde isn’t nauseous when he looks at his friends in love. 

“They’re sweet,” George compliments, the blonde looking to see that the man had also looked back to their friends. He nods, a grin appearing on both of their faces. 

Sapnap and Karl had been seeing each other for almost two months, George and Clay being the only ones to know. A few weeks prior, Nick had told Clay that he was sure that Karl owned more makeup than half the girls at school. Apparently, all was for covering up the lavish marks on the brunette’s neck.

George and Clay finally reach the dorms, neither having said a word since the conversation about their friends. Clay leads the boys up the fire escape, opening the back door and swiftly walking to George’s room. It’s just as Clay had seen last, blue being the only color in sight. George heads to his bed, Clay to the boy’s beanbag. 

“You’re ridiculous,” George rolls his eyes, confusing the man. 

“What did I do this time?” Clay jokes. 

“Come here, we have like what? Two hours before you’ll kiss me?” George jokes back, a genuine tone behind it. Clay lifts himself off the seat, making his way to the bed. George’s laptop is sitting at the foot of the bed, the brunette leaning to grab it. He logs on asking, “Movie?”

“It’s A Wonderful Life,” Clay answers with no question. The movie had been one of the blonde’s favorites since he was a kid, reminding him of Christmas Eve with his family.

“Isn’t that about a guy dying?” George seems nervous at the suggestion.

“What? Have you never seen it?” Clay acts offended when George shakes his head, “Okay, well now we have to watch it, it’s the greatest Christmas movie ever made.”

The black and white movie is pulled up on George’s screen, the brunette pressing play before leaning onto Clay’s shoulders. 

Tears are in both of their eyes by the end, their high wearing off, emotions running even higher. Clay’s arm is slung around the boy’s shoulder, small circles being rubbed into George’s skin. 

For the first time in over two hour, words are exchanged between the men. 

“So did you like it?” Clay asks, turning to look at the boy, noses just centimeters apart. 

“It was really good,” George sniffles just a little, tears no longer in his eyes. 

Clay’s free hand moves to touch the boy’s cheek. George melts into the touch, face blooming pink. 

“How are you feeling Georgie?” Clay whispers softly. 

“Sober,” the brunette bluntly admits.

That’s all Clay needs to lean closer to the boy, cocking his head as a question, a nod coming from the brunette. Their lips meet, softer than ever, barely touching before Clay deepens into the smaller man. There’s no urgency in the kiss, no neediness. Clay’s fingers graze the boy’s cheeks, moving back to grip the back of his head. 

Breathlessly, the two detach, Clay planting kisses around the boy’s face. “I missed you so much Georgie, you’re so beautiful,” Clay praises, love filling his heart. 

He removes the arm wrapped around George’s shoulder, granting a small whine from the boy. Clay laughs softly at the response, sitting up, making the boy even more frustrated. He tugs on the sweatshirt still covering the boy, pulling George into his lap. 

“You look good in this,” he continues to compliment the boy, bringing his arms around the boy’s hips and clasping his hands against the small of his back.

The comment seems to spark something in the boy who removes himself from Clay’s lap, this time the blonde is the one whining. 

“Oh shut up, you’ll be happy in a second,” George goes to his dresser, Clay, hoping he pulls open the third drawer. Instead, he leans down to the bottom one, opening it and pulling out a familiar lime green sweatshirt. 

“You know, if I recall, you have something that matches that,” Clay smirks, George just shaking his head, but opening the drawer filled with skirts. 

Clay again silently thanks whoever is watching over him, before being told to leave the room.

“Out.”

“Why can’t I watch baby?” the nickname flowing easily from Clay’s mouth. A fake pout appears on the blonde’s face when George just points to the door. The blonde makes his way out, smirking at the boy before hearing the door shut behind him.

The boy leans up against the wooden door, waiting for George to tell him to come back in.

When the brunette finally tells him he can come in he’s glad George told him to go. No drug could have made Clay the way he did when he sees the sight in front of him. George is wearing what Clay had asked, but the outfit is accompanied by white knee high socks. Clay rapidly shuts the door, nearly running to the man in the middle of the room.

“Holy fuck, you are, you’re going to kill me,” Clay’s words stumble out. George shuts him up with a long kiss, his small hands cupping the blonde’s face. 

“You’re too nice,” George mutters when their lips finally leave one anothers. 

“Oh come on, you’re kidding right? I’m the one who fucked this up in the first place,” Clay starts to apologize again but is cut off by George’s mouth finding his. 

“Do you ever stop talking?” George laughs out after the kiss, “I forgive you Clay, I don’t know what that means about us, but I really do forgive you.”

Every part of Clay is infatuated by the boy, he’s unable to find the words to tell him how much he loves him.

The two stand there for a few more moments before Clay remembers what the boy in front of him is wearing. The blonde leans down slightly, arms going to wrap around the boy.

“Jump,” he whispers into the brunette’s ear. George complies with ease, legs crossed around the taller man. The Brit is a feather in Dream’s arms, the blonde’s hands migrating under the boy’s skirt. 

The small man’s breath hitches, Clay’s lips going to attack his neck. The two make their way over to the bed, Clay not daring to let the boy fall. Taking a seat on the edge of the bed, Clay continues to leave dark marks on the brunette’s neck, George’s small whimpers music to the blonde’s ears. 

The two are sat, hands exploring every spot on each other’s bodies before Clay feels a hand tug at the edge of his shirt. He pulls it off with ease, George’s hands going to feel the man’s chest and arms. 

“God you’re so cute,” Clay scoffs in the boy’s ear, planting a small kiss just below it. 

“You have really nice biceps,” George confesses, clamping his mouth shut, before adding, “Sorry, that was weird.”

Dream’s ego inflates even more, slightly flexing for the boy. He expects for George to make fun of him but instead the brunette continues to run his fingertips across his shoulders. Clay’s brain is only filled with thoughts of the man in front of him. Wanting to cherish every moment with the small man. His hands tuck under George’s skirt, feeling up his soft thighs. 

“God, you’re something else Georgie,” his rough touch moving to the bows on top of George’s thigh highs. He snaps the fabric gently against the boy, earning a small noise from the brunette’s lips. 

“Hey, hey, I think you should get that,” George pulls away from Clay and a phone ringing fills the blonde’s ears. Clay realizes he hadn’t even noticed the signature sound of Nick’s ringtone. 

He grabs his phone from George’s bedside table, holding it up to his ear. 

“Bro, you better be dying I fucking swear to God,” Clay’s voice is filled with urgency, just wanting to get the call over with.

“Bro,” Nick mocks, “I didn’t know you were busy, I was just going to see if you were in your room or not,” the voice on the other end tells him. 

“Well, I’m not, so goodbye,” Clay hangs up, throwing his phone across the room and turning back to look at George, “Sorry about that,” Clay starts, but the brunette is just giggling at the interaction.

“You guys are so funny,” he leans down to kiss the boy again, before getting off the blonde and laying down next to him. Clay shifts so he’s on his side looking at the brunette, his hand coming up to hold the man’s small face. 

“Sleep here?” George asks nervously, this time Clay is the one giggling.

“You’re acting like there was another option,” he jokes, going to kiss the boy. The neediness had since left the room, the mood changing into something more playful. Clay’s hands wander under the brunette’s sweatshirt, just grazing his waist. The two lay in silence before George yawns. 

“Bedtime,” is all he whispers before rolling to face his wall. Clay just chuckles, turning to hold the man. Soft snores leave George’s mouth just minutes after shutting his eyes, Clay falls even deeper in love at the sound. 

The boy’s only have a week before Christmas break, spending most of the time together. Nick asks Clay about the night several times, the blonde only telling him that they had kissed. 

“We don’t even know what’s happening, I don’t want our friends to,” Clay bluntly tells his friend after the third time he pressures the man to tell more one evening. 

This shuts him up, the two continuing their walk to the fields after dinner. Clay is headed to the doctor the next day to see if he can be cleared for the rest of the season. Sapnap had agreed to throw for the boy at night when the coaches aren’t around to yell at them. 

“Stretch,” is all Nick says before taking a lap around the field. 

The two have gotten in a rhythm, spending hours on and off the field talking about how Clay can make up for lost time. They still have 6 games until the playoffs, enough time for Dream to show his coaches that he’s better than ever.

And he is. 

Nick throws some of his hardest passes of his life and Clay still manages to catch most. 

Curfew isn’t for another thirty minutes, so the boys take a seat in the bleachers next to the field. Sweat is dripping down both of the boys, neither one saying anything until they’ve fully caught their breath. 

“How you feeling?” Nick questions, nodding in the direction of the man’s arm.

“Good, never better,” which isn’t completely a lie, Clay’s arm feels great, Clay feels terrified. 

Not wanting to talk about it anymore, the blonde changes the topic, the two discussing school work and when Quacktiy thought they would be getting more weed.

After a bit, they decide to leave, both desperately needing to shower. Saluting each other, they head into their respective dorms, Clay rushing to the shower. 

It’s not until eleven that night that George finally shows up at Clay’s door. A light knock brings the blonde from his thoughts, George in the doorway pulls him further. 

“Hey, Can I come in?” George looks as heavenly as usual, dark brown eyes looking lovingly to Clay.

“Course, come lay with me,” Clay spreads his arms open waiting for the boy. George complies quickly, going to lay on the man’s chest. 

“Hi,” the smaller squeaks out. George’s pale skin contrasts the dark blue hoodie he’s wearing, his hair is going in a thousand different directions. 

“Hey,” Clay laughs lightly, planting a kiss on the brunette’s head. Clay’s fingers tuck the boy’s hair behind his ear, brushing over his cheek slightly. These are some of the blonde’s favorite times, admiring the boy in front of him, his heart swelling with love. 

“Are you nervous about tomorrow?” George’s voice is muffled against Clay’s sweatshirt. 

“Not really, I’ll be a hell of a lot more nervous when I actually play,” he explains, running his hands through the boy’s hair more. 

The two lay in peaceful silence, George occasionally lifting his head to kiss Clay. Warmth surrounds both boys, their eyes becoming heavy. 

The bright Florida sun fills Clay’s room, George no longer in the blonde’s arms when he wakes up. Disappointment floods him until he turns to see the brunette sitting criss crossed in his gaming chair.

“You’re up early,” he groans out, his morning voice scratchy and deep. 

“I took a shower, I wanted to make sure you were up on time for your doctor’s appointment,” George explains sheepishly, looking down when he says the latter part of the sentence.

“Well thank you, what time is it?” 

“7:03, you have plenty of time, you don’t leave until 8,” George continues.

“I didn’t even know that,” Clay laughs, sitting up to stretch. He then notices George’s clothes, wearing the blonde’s favorite hoodie, “Cute sweatshirt.”

“Thanks, I like it a lot too,” George blushes, giving the blonde a small smile. Clay brings himself out of bed, going to give the boy in his chair a kiss. 

The taller makes his way to his dresser, pulling off his shirt. He can feel George’s eyes bore into his back, staring him down as he pulls a shirt from his dresser. 

Getting ready doesn’t take long, allowing the boys to lay with each other before George has to head up to school, leaving Clay to wait for the athletic trainer. The drive to the doctor’s isn’t long, the boy staring at his hands the whole way. 

POV CHANGE; GEORGE

George spends most of the morning staring out his classroom windows. Clay is all that’s on his mind as he trudges through his classes, checking his phone every few minutes. History passes in a slow crawl at best. 

He sees Sapnap in the hallway between classes, asking the boy if he’s heard anything.

“Nah, but he should be back by 11,” the brunette tells him. George has at least another hour before the boy will be back, heading to his next class, passing just as slowly. In the middle of the lesson, George’s phone rings loudly, his teacher giving him the death glare of the century.

“Sorry, sorry,” George pulls out his phone to see Clay is calling him, “My mom’s calling me, can I go outside?” he lies. His teacher waves his hand in the direction of the door, dismissing the boy whose phone is still ringing.

As he walks out, he hits the talk button, Clay’s voice immediately coming through the speaker. 

“I’m cleared George,” he can hear the excitement from the other side of the line. 

“I knew you’d be, I’m so happy for you,” George smiles while telling the boy, excited that Clay will be able to do something he loves again. The blonde tells him that he should be there within the half hour, asking him if he would be willing to skip class the rest of the day. “Yeah I guess I can do that,” George agrees. 

Walking back into class he does his best to look as sad as possible, telling his teacher he needs to go to the front office, a lie that comes out of nowhere. His teacher has a look of pity on his face when he lets the brunette leave, George instead heading back to his dorm. 

The nerves in his stomach build as he sits on his bed. It wasn’t usual for him to lie to authority, much less lie to ditch class. He’s sat overthinking his actions for a while before deciding to just ignore it. The brunette scrolls through his phone, going and answering a few texts from the morning. 

Noise comes from downstairs, a door shutting, followed by footsteps up the stairs. George bolts up from his bed, flying out the door, nearly running straight into the blonde.

“You do know I was gone for like three hours?” Clay jokes as the brunette’s arms are wrapped around him. 

“Mhm, and I missed you every second,” the comment being bolder than what George is used to saying.

POV SWITCH; CLAY 

The brunette is warm around him, Clay melts into the hug immediately. 

“We have all day to do whatever, whatcha thinking?” Clay tilts his head down to kiss the crown of the man’s head. 

“You pick,” George muffles into his shirt. 

Finally the two detach, Clay adding one more kiss before letting go. Hand in hand, they walk into George’s room, Clay locking the door behind them. Wrapping his arms around the boy from behind, they awkwardly stumble over to the bed in the corner of the room.

“Movie?” Clay whispers into George’s ear before undoing his arms so the two lay down on the bed. 

“Yes please, you pick, I have the worst taste,” George giggles, before shifting so he can lay halfway on top of Clay, leg slung over the boy, arm wrapped around his chest.

“Have you ever seen Die Hard? It’s the second greatest Christmas movie of all time,” Clay turns, cocking an eyebrow.

“Die Hard isn’t a Christmas movie dummy,” George gives him a confused look.

“You have a lot to learn,” Clay laughs slightly, reaching to the boy’s nightstand and grabbing his laptop. 

The movie is halfway done when George asks Clay about his vacation plans.

“Is Nick coming to Florida again?” George gives the boy a kiss on his cheek after the question.

“I'm going to Texas for New Year’s. I spend Christmas at home with my family, and then on the 27th I’ll fly out there,” Clay explains before adding, “Why? Do you wanna come with?”

“That didn’t go great last time, I’m not sure if it’s the best idea,” George confesses, and Clay knows he’s right. 

Instead of responding, the blonde pulls George closer, the brunette nuzzling his head in the crook of the boy’s neck. Silence fills the room peacefully, the boys still have hours until the rest of their friends will be back from class. Clay thinks of all the times he’s been in this bed, holding the small man, his chest full of love.

He thinks of how George feels pressed against him, how the boy's soft skin contrast Clay’s fingers, how George’s lips feel around him, the thoughts slowly spiraling until a heat pools in his abdomen. 

“Clay?” George asks in an innocent tone, a devilish plan behind it.

Clay clears his throat, trying to calm himself before he gets embarrassed, “Yeah?”

George ever so slightly shifts his leg, Clay’s breath is pulled from his lungs before glancing down at the boy. The brown eyes looking back to him are innocent, everything Clay knows the brunette isn’t. 

“Baby, can you stay still?” Clay’s problem is blatantly obvious, he doesn’t bother trying to move. 

“Why? I’m not comfy,” George starts to tease the boy, moving his leg again, this time adding pressure.

Clay groans loudly, hand flying to George’s neck, flipping the two instantly. George’s face flushes red when he realizes his mistake.

“Comfy now?” Clay whispers, George rapidly nodding. Clay smirks at the response, knowing he has the boy wrapped tightly around his finger, “I’m glad,” he adds before latching his lips to the boy’s neck. 

George’s hands creep under Clay’s shirt, his cold fingertips causing the taller to shiver. He leans back from the boy’s neck for a moment to remove his t-shirt. George is staring at the blonde’s chest when Clay looks back down to the boy. He decides to stay in the position for a minute, the brunette’s eyes bore into his body. George’s hand moves up to touch the boy’s chest, soft fingers brushing down his abdomen, ending just above his sweatpants. 

“You’re really pretty,” George lets out softly.

Clay’s head spins, he feels like he’s about to explode. He knows he could break the boy in moments if he wanted to, instead choosing to savor the beautiful man in front of him.

“Would you stop that?” Clay scoffs it off, leaning down to kiss the boy, but is stopped by George pushing him back. 

“I wanna look at you,” George whispers, Clay’s heart stopping. He can feel his face burn, never having been one for this type of affection. The brunette admires him for a few more moments before his hand travels south, “Can I?” George asks with wide eyes.

The blonde doesn’t answer, instead flipping the two so George was straddling him. It’s only then that he gives him an urgent nod. The brunette starts to lean down, moving back off of Clay’s lap. 

George’s mouth is like heaven on Earth to the blonde, all of his thoughts leaving as the warm sensation fills him. 

It doesn’t take long before Clay’s fingers are tangled in the brunette’s hair, guiding him up and down, occasionally wiping a tear from the boy’s cheek. The warmth in his stomach grows, the blonde breathlessly telling the man to keep going. 

“Babe, I’m gonna, I,” Clay can barely make out the words before he’s sent into pure ecstasy, his mind only on the man in front of him. 

After a few seconds, Clay gathers himself, sitting up to grab the boy in between his legs. He grabs George’s face, kissing him until he can’t anymore. The brunette’s face is donned with pink, tear stains still evident on his face.

“Do you want me to...” Clay starts to ask, George shaking his head quickly. 

“No, no, it’s fine,” George seems embarrassed at the question and Clay’s heart hurts for a moment before kissing the boy’s neck and face even more. 

“I want you to, I want you to feel good Georgie,” Clay mumbles into the boy’s neck.

“I feel amazing Clay,” George breaths out, the man’s name coming from his mouth lighting a spark in Clay.

“I love you,” is all he can think of saying. 

The brunette seems taken aback by the statement, the last time the blonde had said it George had left. Instead, he leans into Clay's ear whispering, “You make me feel things I didn’t know were possible.” 

And that’s enough for the blonde to know what he’s trying to say. The taller pulls him back into his lips, sunlight pouring through the windows, highlighting all of George’s best features. Clay is infatuated with everything about the boy, his mind is consumed with George. 

The boys lay in bed the rest of the day, movies playing in the background, the two mainly focused on each other. Discussions of family and their friends bounce off each other, neither one ever seeming to get bored of talking. It’s easy and simple. For Clay, it’s everything he had ever hoped for.

By the time the school day is over, George had long gone to sleep, Clay waiting for a text from Nick. It comes soon after he knows the last bell has rung, his best friend asking if he was going to join practice. He quickly responds yes and has to lift George as gently as possible off of him. The brunette’s eyes flutter open as Clay starts to turn to leave.

“Practice?” is all George mumbles out, Clay leaning down to kiss him on the cheek and whispers a small yes. 

The blonde heads downstairs to grab his gear, running into Schlatt who looks like he’s going up to do the same. They smile at each other in the way that exudes tension. Clay’s about to turn the corner when from the top of the stairs he hears Schlatt mutter something about “Georgie.” 

Every ounce of sensibility is out the door as he takes a 180 and bounds up the stairs.

“What the fuck did you just say? Big man,” Clay spits Schlatt’s nickname for him at the brunette. 

“Bro, bro chill, I just said how are you and George? I thought you heard me and just didn’t respond,” Schlatt raises his hands in defense.

The one thing Clay doesn’t do is “chill,” instead getting angrier, “Don’t fucking talk about him, or I swear to God I’ll just have you benched.” The memories of Schlatt teasing the two on the fields come flooding back.

“Cute that you think you have any influence,” Schlatt starts to get aggressive with the blonde, arms crossed, face getting red, “You’ve been out for like a month bro, good luck convincing the coaches shit.”

And that’s how Schlatt is benched for the rest of the season.


	10. Merry Christmas Time, Happy Holidays

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clay's Holidays go better than expected. 
> 
> Punz hehe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am so sorry this took so long, life has been crazy lately, i hope y'all enjoy this fluff/funny chapter. :) 
> 
> tw// weed, mention of alcohol

Christmas is always the one holiday Clay actually enjoys. His parents have made it a priority since they were kids that Clay and Drista have good memories of the time. The flight back home is lonely, he thinks of George next to him the whole way. How they would hold hands and look out the window and the clouds below them. 

The blonde fiddles with his fingers, the hour passing fairly fast. Clay’s mind is elsewhere as he greets his mom outside the airport. They don’t talk much on the way home, Clay instead daydreams of George being with him on Christmas, having a snowball fight after they open presents. He doesn’t realize there’s a tear rolling down his face as they pull into their family’s driveway. 

“Clay,” Drista draws out the “y” in his name, giving him a hug as she walks out the front door. The two head upstairs after the boy says hi to his dad, Drista excited to show Clay her early Christmas present. 

“Some of the parts came in so mom and dad have just been giving them to me,” Drista explains as her brother looks at the boxes of PC parts in front of the, “I wanted you to help me set it up before you go to Texas.”

Clay just nods, smiling to his sister. 

The days leading up until Christmas pass at a drudging pace. The blonde spends most of the time on the phone with Nick or George. He hates being home for several reasons, his PC not being there being the main one right now.

Clay’s eyes flutter open on Christmas morning, being shaken awake by his sister. 

“It’s like ten, get up, I want my fucking presents,” Drista says before leaving, Clay just groaning and sitting up. He has several missed calls from George and one from Sapnap.

The phone rings a few times before George’s voice comes through the speaker. 

“Merry Christmas Georgie,” Clay’s morning voice croaks out. 

“Merry Christmas to you too, did you just now wake up? It’s like four for me,” George laughs, reminding Clay of the torturous time zones. 

“Yeah, Drista yelled at me to get up,” he stretches out his back, climbing out of bed, “Hey, I’m gonna put you on speaker, don’t say anything too stupid.”

George doesn’t respond. Clay sets his phone down, grabs the nearest t-shirt off the ground and puts it on.

“Okay, you’re off speaker now,” Clay informs the boy, picking his phone back up and walking out his room, “but I have to get going. I'm sorry, Drista will rip my head off if I don’t.”

“It’s all good, call me later?” George asks, knowing the answer will be yes.

“Of course, the second I’m away from my family,” Clay can tell George is blushing from the way he says goodbye to the blonde. 

Clay slowly makes his way into his living room, his parents drinking coffee on their couch, Drista on her phone on the floor.

“Hey, sorry, didn’t mean to sleep that late,” Clay mutters to the family, his mom just giving him a warm smile.

“All good, there’s pancakes on the table,” she gestures to their kitchen, the blonde making his way over to grab some. He hears someone walking to the kitchen, seeing his sister approaching him.

“Hey, what’s up?” he asks her. 

“I was just wondering if you can help me build my PC this afternoon?” his sister responds, a smile on her face. He just nods, turning back to grab his plate of pancakes.

Making their way back to their parents, his dad turns to say hi to the boy. The two had barely spoken since Clay’s arrival, not unusual for the men. 

Opening presents doesn’t take long, Drista having gotten most of hers already. Clay’s parents surprise him with the latest iPhone, something he wasn’t expecting. The blonde spends most of the morning thinking about George being there with him, the hurt growing larger. 

He calls George as soon as he gets back to his bedroom, the brunette’s voice lifting his spirits immediately. 

“Hey Dreamie,” George greets the blonde, the nickname catching him off guard.

“What did you just call me?” Clay coughs out between laughs.

“You get to call me Georgie, I need a nickname for you dummy,” George joins in laughing with the man.

“I kinda like it, I mean at least it suits me,” Clay jokes, a small smirk on his face at the comment.

“Oh shut it,” George laughs, Clay can hear the smile in the boy’s voice.

“I miss you,” Clay spills, his heart panging with the sentence, “come to Texas, Sap would love it, I promise, he basically lives alone at this point. I’m willing to bet his parents will be out of time by the time I get there. They always travel for the New Year.”

George groans through the phone, obviously not sure what to say.

“My parents would never let me,” George excuses the idea.

“I want you to be my New Year’s kiss,” Clay continues to try to persuade the boy.

“Clay...” George starts to wander off with his words.

“I’ll pay for your ticket, please Georgie,” the blonde is basically begging at this point.

“Lemme talk to my mom, plane tickets will be insanely expensive baby,” George’s voice ringing through Clay’s ears. 

“Call me that again,” Clay boldly says.

“Shut up... baby” the brunette lovingly says.

“I miss you,” Clay repeats.

“I miss you too, stay on the call, I’m going to talk to my parents,” George promises, finally caving into Dream’s protests.

The blonde sits in silence for almost ten minutes before he hears shuffling on the other side. 

“Clay?” George’s voice comes through the speaker.

“Yeah, I’m here,” Clay responds.

“Can we add Nick to the call?” George sounds nervous, Clay’s heart skips a beat. 

“Yeah hold on,” Clay adds the brunette to the call, it rings a few times before Nick’s voice comes through.

“Hey boys, what’s up?” The smile on Nick’s face is obvious even over the phone.

“Well Clay wants me to spend New Year’s with you two, but I don’t want to just invite myself, even though that’s pretty much what I’m doing,” George laughs at the end of his sentence, obviously a little uncomfortable with what he’s doing.

“Well, you and Clay would need to be in the guest bedroom together, but I’m sure that’s not much of a problem,” this time it’s Nick’s turn to laugh, “my parents won’t care, they’re going to our lake house for most of the week anyways, it’ll just be us and my brother.”

Clay’s mood brightens at the mention of Punz, he’d always been one of the blonde’s favorite people. He was sure there would be a huge party this year, Luke had a history of throwing ragers. 

“But yeah, if you can get a ticket, I’d love to have you come,” Nick confirms with George.

“My parents said they were fine with it, I just feel bad doing this with such little warning,” George starts to say, but Nick shushes him.

“Dude I’d love for you to be there, just send me your flight info. Now I want to invite Karl damn,” the brunette’s voice goes soft at the mention of Karl.

“Why didn’t you?” Clay questions, he hadn’t thought of asking Karl to join.

“I’m not sure I could lie to my brother for that long, if we’re going to be honest,” an anxious sounding Nick tells them. 

“Oh, Well we won’t be too coupley, and if you change your mind, I’m sure Punz won’t even notice, it’s not like he’s sober a minute in the day,” Clay jokes, granting a laugh from his friend. 

“Thanks, well I have to get going, we’re going to my grandparents for a dinner,” Nick trails off, sounding quite unhappy at his situation.

“Sounds good bro, call me when you get home,” Clay says a quick goodbye before the line disconnects.

“Hey Clay? I have to get going,” George mutters, Clay nodding before remembering the man can’t see him.

“Yeah, okay, I’ll talk to you later?” The blonde is a bit disappointed, but he’s thrilled to be able to see the brunette in just a few days.

“Course, bye Clay,” George says softly, the line disconnecting.

Clay hears a knock on his door, his sister walking in, a smile on her face. 

“Will you help me now?” the blonde girl asks.

“Yeah, yeah, let’s get this over with,” Clay jokes, getting up from his bed and walking with his sister.

The siblings spend several hours working together, Clay only gets frustrated a few times. Drista on the other hand spends most of it half yelling at her brother to be careful.

“I’m being fucking careful,” Clay rolls his eyes, his sister just shaking her head.

They get a little over halfway done before Clay thinks he may fall asleep on top of the computer if they don’t stop. He excuses himself from his sister’s room and the next morning they finish the project.

Clay spends the next few days packing for his trip. He calls George most of the time, it makes time move at least a little faster. 

The flight to Texas is longer than Clay remembers, he spends most of it listening to new music. George had sent him a playlist full of songs that the brunette had said reminded him of Clay. A song by a band he’d never heard of catches his attention. The guitar melody rings in his ears long after the song is done, meaningful lyrics repeat themselves the rest of the flight. A sad poem of love and loss is all Clay can call it. 

As Clay walks through the long airport corridors, his ringtone for Nick plays from his phone. 

“Hello?” the blonde has to be loud, the Houston airport is filled for the holidays. 

“Hey, how far are you?” the brunette’s voice rings in his ear. 

“I’m about to get to pass security, I should be to baggage claim soon,” Clay informs his friend who tells him that he’s waiting for him there. 

“Luke is driving around, I just told him I’d wait for you,” Nick clears his throat, “George’s flight doesn’t get in until like midnight or some shit.”

Clay already knew that but having to remember that he still has another nine hours until he can see the brunette just makes his heart strain. 

“Yeah, yeah, I’m just around the corner, where are-“ Clay spots his friend, hanging up his phone as he makes his way to the brunette. 

They hug in greeting, Nick giving him a large grin as they head to the exit. His friend pulls out his phone, dialing a number. 

“Hey, he’s here,” The brunette says, Clay assuming his brother is on the other end of the phone. 

Nick hangs up soon after, the boys waiting on the sidewalk outside. A souped up pick up truck pulls around the corner, rap music blaring. A boy with long blonde hair is sitting at the wheel, Clay can tell he’s smiling from down the road. 

The car halts to a stop, Punz seems to have turned even to a bigger frat boy than Clay remembers. Hair pulled back into a man bun, the blonde looks older than ever. 

“Dream, my boy,” Punz daps him up, adding a salute at the end. 

“Punz, how you been? How’s college treating you?” Dream smiles whole heartedly. 

“Pulling harder than ever,” the comment from the man grants an eye roll from Sapnap, “Well what are we waiting for, get in,” Luke nods to the boys, Nick taking the front seat and Clay hopping in the back. 

The house Nick lives in is much less a home and much more a mansion. The house is set back from the road, acres of land surrounding it on all sides. Luke informs the blonde that their parents renovated one of the spare guest rooms to be a movie theater after he had begged them to. 

Punz informs the two of the plans for the week adding at the end, “Y’all are good for the party on Saturday? It’ll mainly be college friends but Nick, if you want to invite any of your childhood friends, I’m cool with it,” Nick nods, thinking for a minute before pulling out his phone. 

“Lemme text some of the boys,” the brunette suggests, scrolling through his phone for a bit before adding, “isn’t CJ from around here?” this time looking at Clay.

“Yeah I think she is, she’s always cool,” Clay agrees, remembering all the times the senior girl had smoked with the group. She and Alex had apparently been “talking” according to Nick. The mention of the girl reminds Clay of when Nick had rambled about her after Schlatt’s tryouts. 

‘That must have been around the time Nick and Karl got together.’

“CJ? Isn’t her older sister hot?” Punz chimes in, “She went to Cortona, right? Alyssa or something,”

“Yeah Alyssa is her sister, and I don’t know if she’s hot,” Clay informs the blonde.

“Invite them both, that's chill, and when are you picking up the other friend?” Luke asks, obviously referencing George.

“He gets in around midnight, Clay’s going to get him,” Nick volunteers Clay for the job, but the blonde doesn’t complain; he’s happy to have time alone with the boy. 

“Don’t fuck up my car,” Punz tosses his keys to Dream, turning around and heading up the massive front staircase, “If you need anything, deal with it yourself.” 

The boys laugh, standing alone in Nick’s front foyer, neither saying much. 

“Oh wait, you’re in a different room than last year,” Nick informs, leading the two through the massive building Nick calls a home, “You’re lucky though, because we renovated the other bedroom you and George get to stay together,” Nick snickers, wiggling his eyebrows.

Clay just shoves him with his elbow, the two approaching the bedroom. The blonde recognizes the room, he’s pretty sure it’s because he walked in it to find Luke and some girl having sex at the New Year’s party a few years ago.

“Bet thanks,” he throws his duffle on the bed, pulling out the laptop from his backpack. He hears the door shut from behind him, footsteps shortly following. He opens the computer in front of him, pulling up some of the footage Nick and him had taken while trying out their new game in Minecraft. 

“Oh Dream....” Sapnap’s voice comes out of the speakers, Clay watching attentively as the two fight, the blonde looking for the best spots to cut the video. 

The two had played a variety of rounds, Clay winning most, although he had made some crucial mistakes in some. His favorite game had taken the boys nearly three hours to finish, Sapnap coming dangerously close the killing Dream several times. Not knowing much about how to edit, he’s just throwing jump cuts into the footage, hoping to capture the most intense moments.

The blonde doesn’t notice how much time passes as he edits, only really taking notice when the room gets dark. Checking the clock, he sees he still has four hours before he needs to leave to get George. 

He hears yelling from downstairs, and deciding it would be best to make sure the brothers aren’t killing each other, he gets up from his position, and opens the door. He can’t quite make out what’s being said, but it’s definitely the two yelling.

“Why the fuck do you care?” Nick’s voice is the first one Clay can make out.

“I’m your brother, I’m supposed to care about you,” Luke yells, “Why is who you're dating such a secret?”

Clay immediately retreats back into his room, that being the last fight he wants to be in the middle of. He shuts the door a little too loudly and hears Nick yell up to him.

“Clay?”

He reopens the door, yelling back down, “Yeah? Sorry, I just got confused, keep fighting it’s cool,” he attempts to lighten the mood. 

“We were just finishing, you can come down, I was going to go get Subway,” Luke is the one to call up to the blonde this time. 

“Oh bet,” Clay says as he makes his way down the huge staircase.

The two boys are standing in the kitchen, both of their backs to the blonde and Clay understands how the fight actually started. Nick’s shirt is off, scratch marks litter his back, obviously put there by Karl, well not that obvious to Luke. 

“Jesus fuck Nick,” Clay just laughs in shock.

“That’s what I fucking said bro, will you tell me who they’re from?” Punz tries to convince him.

“Yeah nice try,” Clay just laughs at him, “Sorry I’m sworn to secrecy,” he tells the truth.

Nick just gives him a soft smile at the response, obviously grateful to have the boy there. 

“So Subway?” Clay directs the question to the older of the two who nods his head, holding his phone out to the boy. His notes app is open, Nick’s order written down already. Clay types out his, handing the phone back to the man.

“I’ll be back, don’t do anything stupid while I’m gone, or do,” Luke jokes with the boys again, “Hey I need my keys back,” Punz turns to Dream who nods, running back upstairs and grabbing them from his desk.

He throws them to the blonde when he gets back down, who just nods to the boys. They hear the garage door open and the sound of the car starting.

“You tryna smoke?” Nick looks to his friend who nods.

“Yeah, well,” he checks the time, “yeah I should have time to sober up.”

The two head upstairs into Nick’s room. The brunette had started collecting bongs a few years back, keeping a huge shelf of them in his closet. 

“You pick,” Nick turns to the blonde, gesturing to the shelves of multicolored pieces. 

Clay’s eyes land on a fairly large one, blue tinted glass with silver etchings. He nods to it, “that one.”

“Hector? He’s a beaut,” Nick admires the piece as he pulls it from the shelving. The boy had named all of his bongs throughout his life, Clay had helped name a few over time. He spots an all red piece with orange flames starting at the bottom, “Pandas,” he mutters.

“You wanna use Pandas instead?” Nick goes to grab the piece from the shelving.

“Nah, nah, just thinking about it,” Clay chuckles slightly, remembering how Nick had stolen the piece from Punz’s ex-girlfriend after she had cheated on him. They had named the bong Pandas, and it was Sapnap’s best friend for at least a year. Joking about them being the same, Clay had called him Sapnap in an attempt to say Sadnap. The nickname had become an inside joke for the boys, eventually becoming Nick’s new name. 

Nick laughs, presumably also thinking the same thing as the blonde. 

“Ah, yes, the passage of time,” the brunette jokes, earning a laugh out of Clay. 

The Texan fishes a lighter and some weed from his desk drawer before tossing them to the blonde. A grinder is also brought out from his dresser, this time the boy sets it in front of Clay. 

The blonde grinds up enough for a few bowls to split, packing one for Nick to start. Handing it to the brunette, Sapnap flicks the lighter to life, holding it up to the bowl. He inhales a huge hit, coughing a bit as he exhales. The smoke surrounds the two, and Nick hands the bong to the blonde. They pass it between one another, repacking whenever it’s needed until they hear the garage door open. 

Heading back downstairs, eyes red and muscles loose, they grab their food from Luke, who just rolls his eyes when he sees the state of the men.

“Couldn’t even wait until I got back?” the oldest jokes before leaving the two high in the kitchen. 

The boys eat in silence, enjoying their food before Nick excuses himself, saying something about needing to sleep. Clay is left to wait for his high to wear off so he can get George. 

The blonde makes his way to the living room and turns on the TV, mindlessly scrolling through channels trying to find something to watch. He settles on some old reruns of Law and Order, a show he’s never seen nor does he ever want to watch again. 

Minutes pass like days to the boy, staring at the clock makes it much worse. Around 11 he heads back upstairs, knocking on Luke’s door to get the car keys. The older boy is sitting in his bed, reading. 

“You’re reading?”

“You’re still living?” Punz puts the book down, looking over the boy, “Whatcha need?”

“Keys,” Clay responds, a look of recognition flashes on the man’s face. He leans over to his bedside table, grabbing the keys sitting on top and tossing them to the boy. 

“Don’t break it,” the older boy jokes, nodding to him.

Clay turns, shutting the door behind him.

The drive to the airport has little traffic, Clay getting lost in the thoughts of the boy he’s about to see.

As he pulls into the pick up area, he grabs his phone opening it and clicking on George’s name.

The phone rings for a few moments before a small voice fills the blonde’s head. 

“Clay?” George sounds happier than ever.

“Hey baby,” the nickname causing even Clay to blush, “where are you?”

“I’m just waiting for my suitcase at baggage claim, I should be there soon,” there’s a bit of shuffling on the other end of the line, “I can see my bag, I’ll be out in just a couple,” the line disconnects before Clay can say anything.

The blonde’s leg starts bouncing, nerves running through his body. He spots the brunette walking out of the airport, his eyes scanning the cars. Clay just then realizes that George has no idea what car he’s in. Quickly unbuckling, Clay hops out of the car waving at the brunette. George’s face lights up at the blonde, nearly sprinting over to him.

Clay holds him for a bit, only stopping after realizing they’re holding up traffic. 

“Lemme get your bag,” Clay offers, grabbing the brunette’s suitcase and loading it into the backseat. The two start the almost hour drive back to Nick’s place. 

“How was your flight?” Clay wants to stare at the boy next to him, but he’d rather not end up in a ditch on the way.

“Long,” the brunette sighs before adding, “but I’d do it ten more times to be here.”

Clay’s face burns, his heart leaping out of his chest. His body is telling him to pull over and grab the boy next to him. He instead just softly laughs, shaking his head.

“Well I’m glad you did it once, this week is always one of my favorite times of the year,” Clay smiles, finally taking his eyes off the road to look at the boy briefly. 

George’s flushed face and pale skin stand out in the dark car, his brown eyes seemingly brighten the entire night. 

The drive is spent talking about the week’s plans and how much the two missed one another. As George pulls into Nick’s driveway, George’s eyes widen at the huge house in front of them.

“Nick lives here?” George scoffs out.

“Yeah, I know right,” Clay just laughs at the boy’s awestruck expression. 

“Shit,” is all the brunette follows up with. 

Nick is waiting for the boys at the kitchen counter, three joints already rolled, are sitting on the table in front of him. 

“Hey George, I’m glad you could make it,” Nick smiles at the boy, George returning the greeting.

“Thanks for letting me stay, nice house,” the brunette adds, earning a laugh from Nick.

“Well, thanks bro, Clay can show you your guys’ room,” which is Clay’s cue to grab George’s suitcase again and make his way upstairs. He can hear the brunette follow him.

Nick’s voice comes from below them as they put George’s stuff away, “Come back down when you’re done.”

Clay closes the door behind them, eyes locking on the small man in front of him. The blonde’s hands snake to George’s waist, pulling him close. 

“God I fucking missed you,” Clay breathes out before crashing their lips together.

George melts into the taller man, wrapping his arms around the taller man’s neck. They stay like that for a while, savoring finally being back together. A week without one another has felt like an eternity to both. 

“Oh fuck sorry,” comes behind them, the two immediately pulling away to see Luke standing in the door way, eyes nearly popping out of his head.

“Fuck, sorry, fuck, this isn’t what-” Clay starts to say, getting cut off by the older man.

“Two things. One, did you actually just try to say, ‘it’s not what it looks like,’” Punz nearly doubles over in laughter, mocking Clay’s excuse, “And two, good on you.” 

Clay is stood, shell shocked for a minute before he realizes what the older man is trying to say. 

“Well, um, this is my, this is my boyfriend George,” the term causing George’s neck to snap up at Clay, “George, this is Luke, Nick’s older brother.”

George gives him a shy smile, “Hey, sorry about that,” he tries to save any bit of dignity either of the men have.

“Don’t apologize, just, don’t be loud,” Punz is crying laughing again by that point, giving them both a nod before closing the door.

“Well fuck, there goes that cover,” Clay starts to joke before realizing the possible damage that could be done. Running to the door, he throws it open, nearly shouting, “Don’t tell anyone.”

Without looking back Luke just mumbles, “Don’t think I ever want to have to reimagine that. Won’t be a problem.”

Clay’s the one who’s laughing this time, turning back to George and holding his hand out. 

“We can unpack later, let’s go smoke,” he suggests, George immediately nodding at the idea.

Nick is reading something on his phone when the two get downstairs, turning to them he holds it up for them to see. It’s a text, from Luke, reading, “you put them in the same room on purpose.”

George’s face turns bright red, Clay just laughing.

“What the fuck did you do?” Nick pretends to be mad, doing a horrible job and instead just laughing at the two.

“I didn’t know your brother was going to walk in, we were just kissing anyways,” Clay brushes it off, not wanting to dwell on the topic for much longer. 

Nick’s laughing just as hard as his brother did as he gets up from his seat. He leads the group to his basement stairs, joints in hand. The three plop onto one of the massive couches surrounding a TV in the basement, Nick dispersing the weed. George is already yawning by his fourth hit, the brunette’s eyes getting droopier. 

“You can go to bed Georgie. Here,” Clay wraps his arm around the boy, careful to avoid tapping him with his ember. The brunette slumps against Clay, holding out his burning joint for someone to take. Nick grabs it from him, putting it out on the ashtray in front of them. 

Nick finishes off his own before saying goodnight to the blonde. Soft snores are emitted from George’s lips as Nick’s footsteps lead upstairs. Clay continues to smoke in silence, the weight of the other boy carrying him closer to sleep. 

“Hey Georgie,” he whispers after putting out his joint, “I’m gonna carry you upstairs.” He isn’t sure if George hears him, so he snakes his arm under the boy’s knees, his other arm around his back. Carrying the boy bridal style, he carefully navigates up the two flights of stairs. 

He feels the brunette shift in his arms, a small grunt coming from his lips.

“Hey, I’m just taking you upstairs,” Clay mutters into the boy’s ear, George giving him a small nod of approval.

The two sleep until past noon the next day, and the next, and the next. Clay is pretty sure he’s never slept better in his life than when the boy is curled in his arms. The mattress is comfortable unlike the ones at Cortona, both boys being grateful they’re not there. 

The days spent at Nick’s before New Year’s are filled with smoking and planning. Punz and Sapnap spend most of it arguing over drinks and the guest list, Dream and George curled up next to each other watching the brothers fight. 

New Year’s Eve is the first day Clay actually wakes up at a reasonable time. His arms are wrapped around George, Clay’s face nuzzled into the boy’s neck. The morning sun is raining through the windows, the bright light illuminating all of George’s best features. 

“Georgie? George,” Clay whispers, knowing he needs to wake the boy up. The peaceful look on the brunette’s face is wiped clean as he opens his eyes, turning to look at the blonde behind him.

“Good morning Dreamie,” the nickname George had given was starting to grow on the blonde.

“Morning,” Clay pecks George’s cheek before unraveling his arms, earning whines of protest from the smaller man, “Hey, hey, we have to get ready, it’s going to be a long fucking night.” 

“What time is it?” George groans.

“Ten. You and I have to go pick up some of the food and then help Nick decorate,” Clay reminds him, George just flopping back down on the bed.

Clay leaves the room, heading to the bathroom for a quick shower. He’s about halfway done when he hears a soft knock followed by, “Me.”

The door opens and within a few moments George has joined him. Clay’s lips meet his, water running in between the two. They stay under the warm water probably longer than they should, only being broken out of their safe haven by a loud noise downstairs.

“We should probably get going,” Clay says between kissing the smaller man.

“Yeah, yeah,” George reluctantly agrees, turning to shut the water off before being met with one last kiss from the blonde.

“Okay now we can get going,” Clay grins, George blushing back at him.

The day is just as hectic as they normally are, the boys running around the house trying to hide anything expensive, which, in this house, is nearly everything. Luke gets multiple deliveries of weed and alcohol throughout the day, every one earning a cheer from all three of the senior boys. 

“People will be here within the hour,” Punz remarks around eight, “All of the weed is in my room, don’t let anyone near my door, got it?” The speech is all too familiar to Dream, who just nods. 

Bright lights and booze fill the house as the night continues, the boys sticking close the whole time. CJ and her sister show up around eleven, the seniors greeting each other with hugs.

“Hey, how’s your break CJ?” Clay inquires, the girl smiling and informing him that it’s, “about as good as it can be with my parents,” which earns a laugh from all of the boys. 

“You want something to drink?” Punz appears behind the group, eyes locked on CJ’s sister.

“I’m good, my girlfriend should be here in a bit by the way. I invited her sorry about that,” Alyssa tells the blonde, whose face drops at the mention of a girlfriend. 

Clay can see Nick holding back laughter as the group disperses, the brunette immediately going to make fun of his brother. 

“Wanna play pong?” Clay looks down at George, hip glued to the blonde.

“I’ll watch, I’m not very good,” the brunette suggests, looking down to the floor.

“Aw, come on, one game?” Clay tries to persuade the boy who just shakes his head at him.

The blonde gives up, instead scanning the room for his best friend. He spots the boy, punching his brother in the arm, laughing at his expense. 

“Sap,” Clay yells, knowing it’ll guarantee to get the boy’s attention. And it works, Nick’s neck turning to meet Clay’s eyes. “Pong?” is all the blonde has to say before Nick has abandoned his brother. 

The two dominate, winning three games in a row. George never leaves Dream’s side, the boy cheering him on the whole time. Clay’s pretty sure life can’t get better, but then it does.

“Ten!”

“Nine!” 

Clay turns to the brunette at his side.

“Eight!”

“Seven!”

“Six!”

George’s eyes stare at the blonde’s lips. 

“Five!”

“Four!”

Clay wraps his arms around the brunette’s waist pulling him close.

“Three!”

“Two!”

“One!”

It may have not been Clay’s first New Year’s Kiss, but it’s the only one he’ll ever think about again.


	11. Outside

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys finally are honest. 
> 
> Summaries literally suck lol, also please read the note i attached to this chapter, thank you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so i wanted to mention about the smut in this story/lack thereof. i have been seeing more and more talk of the mlm fetishization and having girls write mlm smut in particular. i dont want to be part of the problem and/or make people uncomfortable, so id like to have a conversation about how comfortable mlm are with me writing smut in this fic. 
> 
> ik there may or may not be a lot of people who fall under that category who read this story, but if there are, i would love to hear about how you feel about me, a bisexual cis woman, writing smut that is mlm.
> 
> on that note, this chapter was originally supposed to be like mostly smut, as that was part of the plot point, but i boiled it down to be extremely vague, as i dont want to write anything until i talk to people about it, okay thanks yall 
> 
> okay im sorry that was a lot, but i hope you all enjoy this chapter, although it is kinda short, it's just a fun time

The trip back to school is peaceful for the three, George and Clay holding hands the whole plane ride. Getting back to Cortona had always been an anxiety provoking experience for the blonde, but with George sitting next to him, he’s never felt so calm. 

The three meet up with their friends once they get back, Techno and Wilbur being the first they see. The boys are discussing what they did over break, Wilbur rambling on about getting a new guitar from his grandparents. He had apparently broken his last one over Thanksgiving break, something about too much Smirnoff. 

“Ay, hey boys, how was your New Years?” the brunette asks as he sees the three approach.

“It was great, ton of fun,” Nick answers for them, around the same time the two boys in front of them notice Clay’s and George’s intertwined fingers. 

“Oh hey guys,” Techno smiles at them, much warmer than usual. 

“Hey Techno,” Clay gives him a cheeky grin. George’s face turns pink, but he doesn’t dare let go of the blonde next to him. 

Wilbur just smiles, obvious that happy the boys are finally being open with everyone. 

“I’m pretty tired, I think I’m going to take a nap,” George says, mainly talking to Clay. 

“I’ll come with, I am too,” the blonde offers.

The two say their goodbyes to their friends, heading upstairs to the brunette’s room. Clay turns on the boys lights, a dark blue filling the room. George goes to change, Clay grabbing his forearm and stopping the boy. He pulls off the green sweatshirt he’s wearing it, handing it to the smaller man who just blushes.

“You look good in it,” Clay kisses the man’s cheek, pulling back to let him change. 

George just blooms a soft pink, throwing it on over his shirt, pulling off his jeans. Clay excuses himself, telling the brunette he needs to grab something from his room. He runs to his dorm, pulling on some sweatpants and removing his shirt. It’s hot in Florida, even in January. His plaid sweatpants hang low on his hips, his happy trail on full display. He grabs a few things from his dresser drawer, throwing them in his pockets. 

Clay knocks on the brunette’s door, entering before waiting for a response. The boy is sitting in his bed, laptop in his lap. Clay’s sweatshirt hangs loosely on the boy’s body, a blanket covering his lower half. 

“Hi baby,” Clay gives him a grin, George returning the smile.

“I’m watching Sherlock,” George’s smile melts the blonde’s heart. 

“Sounds good, you not tired anymore?” Clay remembers the boy’s complaints just minutes ago.

“No, I just wanted to spend time with you,” George shyly admits. 

Clay nearly sprints to the boy’s bed, grabbing the boy’s face and kissing him.

“God I fucking love you,” the blonde breathes out, George’s face turning red at the comment.

“You look hot,” George rakes his hands down the boy’s abdomen, Clay burying his head in the boy’s neck at the praise. The blonde laughs, his breath tickling the brunette’s neck. George squirms at the feeling, making Clay laugh even harder.

“I brought my pen, if you want to,” Clay suggests, George cutting the blonde off mid sentence with a nod.

“Yes please,” George’s voice has a sense of excitement in it at the proposition. Neither of the boy’s have a chance to hit it as Clay’s phone rings, Tommy’s profile picture popping up on the screen.

“Hello?” George answers for him, making Clay smile even harder.

“This isn’t Dream,” the blonde can hear the boy’s voice come through the other end.

He grabs the phone from Goerge, bringing it to his ear.

“No but this is,” he answers the freshmen.

“Big D, what’s up? I need a favor,” Tommy requests from the boy.

“I can’t do it right now,” Clay looks to the boy below him who grins, “but can I help you out later?” he hears the boy groan through the phone.

“Yeah I guess, we can do it tomorrow. I’ve been watching a lot of Minecraft streamers lately,” Tommy starts to explain, Clay cutting him off.

“Yeah, yeah, can we please do this later? I’m really sorry, I’m just in the middle of something,” the blonde is nearly pleading at this point.

Tommy seems to catch on, “Oh, ohhh, sorry bro, I’ll call you later,” the freshmen hangs up before Clay can respond. 

Clay throws his phone to the ground, returning his attention on the boy in front of him. 

“Sorry about that, here, here,” Clay grabs the pen in his pocket, handing it to the brunette. 

George takes a few small hits, before handing it back to Clay. The blonde watches the smoke leave the smaller man’s lips, admiring his features. 

He takes a long hit, tipping George’s chin up to meet his lips, exhaling into the man’s mouth. George smiles at the touch, inhaling the smoke into his lungs.

Clay finally gets off from the small boy, laying down next to him and hitting the pen a few more times. Sherlock plays in the background, George’s attention being drawn back to the show. Clay removes the rest of the things from his pockets, placing them in the drawer in George’s bedside table. 

George notices, looking at the blonde with a puzzling look, “What was that?” 

“Nothing.”

“Show me,” George leans over, trying to grab the drawer handle. Clay stops him, face flushing red.

“You don’t want to know,” he tries to persuade the brunette.

“Show me, please,” George’s soft voice convincing the blonde.

He turns, grabbing the small box in the drawer, avoiding the other objects he had placed. The slim velvet jewelry box comes into George’s view, his breath hitching.

“Clay what is that?” he can hear the nerves in the brunette’s voice. 

“I didn’t get you anything for Christmas, so I guess, that’s this,” Clay opens the box, a small silver necklace sitting inside. 

The simple box chain sits daintly in the box, George smiling at the boy next to him.

“I love it,” is all he says.

“I know it’s simple, but I thought it would look nice on you,” Clay starts rambling, George cutting him off with a kiss. His lips shut the man up, Clay’s heart soaring.

“I love it,” the brunette repeats.

Clay grabs the hip of the man next to him, lifting him to his level, turning him back around. The clasp holds tightly around his neck as Clay peppers kisses to George’s neck. The brunette tilts his head back, his hair tickling Clay’s forehead.

“Baby, come here,” Dream grabs the man’s waist, doing his best to flip him around, wanting to stare deep into the eyes of the other boy.

“Thank you, I love it,” the brunette whispers, his fingertips touching the silver chain around him. 

Clay’s hands continue to wander around George’s body, his cold fingertips squeeze around the boy’s waist. All he can think about is loving the boy in front of him, making him feel wanted and needed. Clay’s mind clouds only with the boy in front of him. 

“I want you,” he spills out, not knowing how else to say it. George kisses him long and hard, wrapping his arms around the boy’s neck.

“Then take me,” he whispers, the cliche ringing true in the moment. Clay flips the two, the blonde wanting to be on top of George. Everything that had happened between the two the last few months is thrown out the window as the two intertwine, all of the awkward moments with their friends and families, the fights that nearly tore them apart, everything that had hurt them was gone in that moment. 

“I need you,” Clay whispers, muttering it into the boy’s neck.

“I already told you that you have me, all of me,” George adds at the end, a silent acknowledgement of where this was going. 

“Yeah? Yeah, okay,” Clay’s suddenly self conscious of his body, how he must look hovering over the boy. 

The brunette sees the man tense up, reaching his small hand to Clay’s shoulder, moving it slowly down his chest and abdomen.

“Can you take these off?” George tugs at the boy’s sweatpants and all of Clay’s worries are shot out the window. He only can think of George, making his legs shake, making him cry out the blonde’s name, all he wants is for the brunette to feel good.

He makes sure the boy below him is in as little pain as possible, holding him and going painfully slow. The blonde nearly loses his cool a few times, having to bite his lip to stop himself from destroying the man beneath him. But eventually George is begging him to do just that. Clay can barely think as he ruins the once soft spoken and shy boy, now crying out for him. George unravels in a string of “thank you’s” the sight causing Clay to spill over the edge moments later. 

The two lay in silence for a few moments, Clay peppering kisses all over the man’s body, silently praising the beautiful man next to him. 

Realizing the state of the two men, Clay gets up after a few moments throwing on his pajama pants and nearly sprinting to his room. Grabbing a towel, water bottle, and some snacks, he takes the stairs two at a time to get back to the boy as soon as possible. 

“Here, sorry, I should’ve gotten it beforehand,” Clay opens the water bottle, handing it to the brunette while wiping his stomach down. George’s face flushes red with embarrassment, the blonde just kissing his cheek as he gets back into the bed with the boy. 

“Do you want to go to bed, or we can watch something?” Clay mutters in between placing kisses atop George’s head. 

“Bedtime,” George whispers, setting the water bottle on his bedside table and grabbing the granola bar Clay had brought for him. He takes a few bites before offering it to the blonde who takes a small bite, not wanting to take any of the boy’s food.

“Drink some more water and then we can go to bed, okay?” Clay kisses the man again, reaching across him to grab the water bottle on the table. 

George gladly takes a few more sips, eventually setting it down and curling into Clay’s chest.

They sleep for a few hours, Clay only waking up to his phone ringing from across the room. Tommy was calling him again, this time a group facetime with Tubbo and Wilbur as well. He does his best to make his way over George’s sleeping body, not wanting to wake him.

“Hey guys, hold on,” Clay whispers, the three boys’ faces appearing on his screen. The blonde steps outside the boy’s room, turning his phone volume up, “what’s up?”

“Hey sorry to do this Dream, but Tubbo and Tommy just really need some help with some PC stuff, and I’m a little busy,” Wilbur explains, flipping the camera for Clay to see. Techno, Niki, Schlatt, and Minx are sitting in what looks like one of the girls’ dorms, judging by the decor, probably Minx’s room. 

“Yeah, yeah, well I was fucking busy too,” he flips to camera to show George’s door, a sign indicating it to be the brunette’s.

“Tommy said you would be done,” Wilbur stops himself, “not like that, I just mean,” the man starts to say, Clay cutting him off, not wanting to see how he was going to save himself. 

“It’s fine, I’ll see what I can do. Tubbo, Tommy, keep your doors unlocked,” Clay quickly remarks before hitting the end call button.

He goes back into the brunette’s room, seeing George sitting up in bed, scrolling through his phone.

“Hey sorry, Wilbur called,” he explains, George just smiling and nodding.

“It’s all good, did he need anything important?” the brunette asks.

“Yeah, I need to go help Tubbo and Tommy with something, they haven’t even told me what, just that it’s about their PCs,” he tells the boy, a small look of disappointment washing over his face.

“Okay, yeah, I was just going to shower. Call me when you’re done?” George starts to get up, Clay’s heart hurting at the suggestion.

“Yeah, okay, I’m going to go get dressed, I’ll see you later,” Clay starts to leave, realizing his mistake, he turns back and goes to kiss the brunette, “I’ll talk to you soon, okay?” he says, kissing George once more before leaving. 

The walk to the freshman dorm is short, Clay wanting to get it done with as soon as possible. Tommy greets him at the door, thanking him for coming by.

“Yeah, of course, what do you guys need?” Clay tries to rush the boys.

“Well Tubbo had this idea to start live streaming our Minecraft world, but we don’t actually know how to do that. Wilbur said that you would be the next best person to ask,” Tommy tells the blonde, Clay immediately knowing what they need to do.

“Yeah well he’s right, are you guys thinking Youtube?” he starts to question, needing to know more before he can help them. 

“Well that’s what I suggested, but Tubbo thought Twitch could be better?” Tommy turns to his friend who just nods.

“Yeah, I mean Twitch will probably be cooler long term,” Clay explains, heading upstairs, going to Tommy’s room first. The freshman’s set up had impressed Clay the first time he had seen it, two monitors and a laptop, Wilbur had informed Clay of the price of the blonde’s PC a few months back. It had taken Wilbur repeating the number several times for him to believe it. The freshman’s proficiency in gaming and technology had impressed the blonde when they first met, his loud voice was the only thing to leave a bigger impression on the man.

Clay spent several hours explaining how they should start streaming and the best ways to promote their accounts, the two freshmen thanking him profusely when he finally got to leave.

“How do you know about this stuff anyways?” Tommy asks as he’s leaving.

“Sap’s older brother streams,” Clay tells the two, “Punz, you would like him Tommy,” the older man laughs.

“Would I not?” Tubbo pretends to act offended.

“Nah you would, Tommy would just idolize him if they ever met,” Clay teases, Tommy rolling his eyes.

“The only man I idolize is Vikkstar, now thank you for your help Dream, but leave,” the tall freshman jokes back, Clay lightly socking him in the arm before turning and making the walk back to his dorm.

Halfway through the walk he remembers his promise to George, pulling out his phone and calling the brunette. It was starting to get dark, the day having seemed to last a year to Clay.

“Hello?” George’s voice rings through Clay’s head.

“Hey, sorry that took forever. They wanted to figure out how to stream, apparently they’re going to start streaming our friend group’s world,” he apologizes, George telling him not to worry about it when he finishes talking. 

“It’s all good, did you see the group chat? Apparently Karl wants the group to sneak out tonight,” George tells him, Clay must have missed the messages while he was with the freshmen.

“No, no I didn’t, do you want to?” Clay asks, only wanting to go if George is there.

“Yeah, he said it was kind of mandatory, so yeah I think we’re both going,” George chuckles, the laugh melting Clay’s heart like usual.

“Mkay, well lemme call Nick real quick, I need to ask him something, but I’m on my way back. I should be there in a few.”

“Sounds good, bye bye,” George’s cheery tone lifts Clay’s mood immediately. 

Clay’s phone rings a few times before Nick’s voice comes through the line.

“What’s up?” his friend asks promptly.

“Do you know why we’re sneaking out tonight?” Clay gets to the point, not wanting to waste time before he sees George.

He hears shuffling on the other end, what sounds like someone talking to him. 

“Yeah, no, I don’t, sorry, I’ll ask him, but I’m sure he just misses you guys, it’s been awhile since we’ve all been together,” Nick trails off, seemingly distracted.

“Yeah okay, well what time?”

“Techno, Wilbur, and Quackity are meeting me in my dorm at midnight, I would suggest you, George, and Karl do the same. We can meet out back around then,” Nick informs the blonde.

“Bet, I’ll see you then,” Clay hangs up the phone after a quick goodbye. 

It’s almost completely dark by the time Clay gets back to his dorm. George is sitting on his bed, laptop in front of him. Clay can tell the boy is back to watching Sherlock, the distinct british accents playing from the speakers. George looks up when he hears the door open, smiling when he realizes it’s Clay.

“How was Tommy and Tubbo?” George continues smiling at the boy, cheeks flushed and eyes sparkling.

“They were good, missed you though,” Clay plops down next to the boy, wrapping his arms around him and giving him a peck on the cheek.

“You’re ridiculous,” George laughs, although it’s obvious the comment meant something to him.

“Yeah, yeah, well we have like four hours before we need to meet up with the boys. Sherlock?” Clay gestures to the laptop in front of them, George grinning at the idea.

“Of course,” he gives a quick kiss to Clay’s cheek, the blonde’s heart warming at the action.

The two manage to watch almost six episodes before they hear a knock at the door.

“Hey, you two, let’s go,” they hear Karl say from the other side of the wall. Clay throws on his shoes, handing George his sweatshirt before they leave.

“Don’t want you cold,” is all the blonde says. 

The three head out to meet the other four boys coming out of their dorm. They make the long journey to the boulder they went to on Halloween, the boys deciding the bridge isn’t exactly what they want that night. 

“So what’s up Karl? Is there something you would like to share with the group?” Techno jokes once they get to the spot, the pink haired boy pulling out a pipe from his jacket. 

“Actually yeah, kinda,” Karl sheepishly looks to the ground, getting visibly nervous. 

Clay catches Nick looking over to the boy, a pained expression on his face. 

“Yeah well, um,” Karl clears his throat, “I guess, I wish I hadn’t had, well we hadn’t had, kept this from the group for so long. But neither of us were really ready,” Clay finally figures out where this is going, holding in a breath.

Nick steps in, “Yeah, I guess we weren’t ready,” the rest of the group turns to look at the brunette, Clay can see Wilbur figure it out, Techno and Quackity are still visibly confused. 

“Me and Nick are dating, and we have been, for like awhile,” Karl finally manages out. 

“Oh my god, I thought you were dying or something,” Quackity spills, a look of relief visible on the man’s face.

Alex walks over to the short brunette boy, engulfing him in a hug. Techno and Wilbur turn to Nick grinning at the man who gives them both a small smile. 

“Well, I mean, we’re happy for you guys, I’m a bit confused on why Dream isn’t freaking out right now,” Techno comments, gesturing to the blonde man.

“Oh yeah I’ve known for months, you think that idiot can keep a secret from me?” Clay laughs out, giving a genuine smile to his friend. 

“Yeah, I really can’t keep anything from you,” the brunette smiles back, the two reminded of why they’re best friends in the first place.


	12. Loving Someone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emotions run high, confusion even higher. 
> 
> tw// homophobia briefly, mentions of drug use

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> am i uploading this at 2 am? yeah, maybe i am.... 
> 
> ALSO THANK YOU SO SO SO MUCH FOR 10K HITS IM LITERALLY SCREAMING
> 
> also another thank you: i've seen a few mentions of my fic on tiktok and also people telling me in my comment section that they love my story. those comments genuinely make me write even on my worst days. thank yall so much !!!!!

The first day back to classes, Clay is woken up by Mr. Young knocking on his door. Handing him a profile sheet of two people, one name stands out to the blonde.

“Who the fuck names their kid BBH, what does that even mean?” the blonde groans, and realizing his mistake, he quickly shuts up.

“Do I need someone else to do the tour?” Mr. Young looks at him with a stern expression.

“No, sorry, it’s just early, I’ll be up soon,” Clay excuses the man from his room as quickly as possible, opening his phone and going to his favorite group chat.

Karl, Nick, and George were already awake, a long string of texts between the three is the first thing Clay sees when he opens his messages.

The three had apparently made plans for the football game that Friday, the after party to be hosted in Nick’s dorm. Clay shoots the three a text telling them he’s awake. He also informs them of the two new kids, the other one, Skeppy, was also a senior, and both him and BBH would be moving into Nick’s dorm. Not receiving an answer from any of them, he makes his way up to his boyfriend’s dorm room, knocking as he enters.

The brunette is sitting at his desk, Minecraft running on his PC.

“You’re playing right now?” the taller asks as he enters the room.

“I didn’t sleep, I’ve been playing for a few hours,” George responds softly, not bothering to look back to Clay.

“You didn’t sleep?” the blonde is all of a sudden worried for the boy.

“Yeah, I’m fine though, just thinking,” the brunette still hasn’t turned to look at Clay, the taller making his way over to him instead.

Wrapping his arms around the boy, he leans down to kiss the top of his forehead. Clay feels the smaller man flinch ever so slightly, the blonde pulling back immediately.

“Did I do something? Are you okay?” Clay starts to question George even more, the brunette just shaking his head, his Minecraft character running through a desert biome, the boy’s eyes glued to the screen.

“Okay, well I’m gonna go I guess” Clay can feel himself getting upset, wanting to leave as soon as possible.

“What?” an edge appearing in George’s voice.

“Sorry, you know you could skip today so you can sleep. I’m sure you’re exhausted,” the blonde mutters, leaving George’s room before he can respond.

Something between anger and sadness rises in his throat, the morning already off to a rough start. Confusion soon follows, George’s actions were never that clear but something about the conversation felt foreign to Clay. The frustration soon subsides as he gets ready and meets Nick out front, George already waiting with the rest of the group.

“You’re going?” is all Clay offers to the brunette when he meets up with the rest of their friends.

“Yeah, I mean I can’t really miss much,” George softly explains, Clay reaching down to take his hand, the brunette letting him.

They walk, fingers intertwined the whole way, Clay only letting go when he has to head down to the front office. He can see what looks like two families standing in the parking lot. As he gets closer he recognizes the boys from their photos earlier. Both boys look nervous, Skeppy nearly clinging to his mother. 

As he gets closer he calls out, “Hey, you must be the new students,” he receives nods from everyone. “I’m Clay, I’m a senior here, and I’m going to be touring you two.”

BBH grants him a warm smile, Skeppy still looking anxious.

“BBH?” Clay turns to the boy, dark hair and a red and black hoodie on.

“Most people just call me Bad,” the boy, Bad, informs him, Clay giving him an awkward thumbs up.

‘What the fuck was that dude.’

“And Skeppy?” the blonde turns to the other boy who seems to have warmed up a bit, offering a small smile to Clay, “Well it’s nice to meet you guys, before your parents leave, I just want to make sure you have everything.”

Both families look at each other for a moment, the parents of both boys turning to Clay and telling him yes.

“Well great, I’ll be in the office, you two can meet me there when you’re done,” Clay awkwardly suggests, he knows parents leaving can be hard for some students. The parents of both boys thank him, Clay nodding his head and heading into the building next to them. 

Clay pulls out his phone as he waits for the two, hoping there’s a text from George. Nothing. It’s a few minutes before both boys arrive, Bad walking in just moments after Skeppy does. 

“So yeah, I’m just gonna show you guys the campus and then your dorms, you both are in the same building,” Clay explains, both of the men in front of him not saying anything, “All your stuff will already be there just so you know.” 

Skeppy finally speaks up, “Do we have roommates?” 

Clay shakes his head, “None of the seniors do,” the comments finally bring what looks like a genuine smile to both of the boys’ faces. 

The three make their way through the campus starting at the library. Bad seems much more interested in the upstairs of the building than the student center downstairs. Skeppy and Clay take a minute to play a game of pool together. 

“Where you from?” the black haired man asks Clay.

“I live like an hour plane ride south of here, near Orlando,” he tells the boy, “What about you?” 

“LA,” Skeppy responds.

“Oh wow, that’s cool, do you like it?” the blonde asks, not sure if it’s the best time, but also not sure what to say next.

“It’s alright, some days I hated it, others it was the best,” the boy shrugs, continuing their game.

Twenty minutes later Clay is victorious, the two heading back upstairs find Bad reading.

“You can take whatever you want, you’re the only person that will ever use this place anyways,” the blonde jokes, Bad just looking grateful.

“Oh cool, well thanks,” the man grabs another book from the shelf along with the one he was reading, following the two outside.

The rest of the tour goes smoothly, Clay introduces the two new boys to Sapnap in the hallways during a passing period.

“This is Bad, and this is Skeppy,” Clay gestures to the two next to him, Sapnap giving them both a grin.

“Cool name,” he directs towards Bad, the boy smiling and thanking him. The three continue walking through the school building, Clay showing the boys some of the classrooms.

The blonde sees George as they’re heading out, the two making eye contact. Clay gives him a small smile before calling him over.

“Hey, come here, I want to introduce you to them,” the taller gestures to the two boys next to him. George timidly makes his way over to the group, Clay reminded of the conversation they had that morning.

“This is Skeppy,” the black haired boy gives George a quick “hi,” Clay turns to the other boy, “and this is Bad, they’re both seniors living in Sapnap’s dorm.”

George nods, obviously not really wanting to be there.

“And this is my-,” Clay thinks through his word choice briefly, “this is my boyfriend George,” the announcement snapping both Bad and Skeppy’s necks up to the blonde. 

“Well it’s nice to meet you both, I have to get to class, sorry,” George doesn’t wait for a response from any of the men, turning and continuing his walk to class. An awkwardness fills the air, Clay doing his best to shrug off the brunette’s actions.

“I’ll take you guys to your dorms, I’m supposed to stay there, but if I remember correctly, my friend Quackity skipped today,” Clay jokes, “he’ll know more about your dorm than I will anyways.”

Skeppy nods, Bad not doing anything, and the group heads down to the dorm adjacent to Clay’s.

The blonde shows them their rooms, the two getting rooms across from one another. He says his goodbye before heading downstairs to knock on Alex’s door.

“Come in,” he can hear the boy shout.

“It’s me,” the blonde announces as he walks in.

“Oh hey what’s up?” Quackity seems surprised to see the man.

“Hey so I really need to go talk to George, but I’m touring the new kids and I’m supposed to be around in case they need anything. Could you do that for me? They’re just unpacking” Clay nearly pleads.

“Uh, what rooms?” the black haired man asks.

“Oh Bad, that’s one of them, is in room 12 and Skeppy is in 13,” Clay explains, the man in front of him scoffing.

“Yeah, yeah, go deal with your loverboy, I can handle it,” the boy jokes to Clay who thanks him and leaves. 

Hands stuffed in pockets, head spinning with thoughts, Clay makes the trek back up to the school building. He knows the brunette would tell him if anything was wrong.

‘Well would he?’ 

Blaming George’s actions this morning on the brunette’s apparent lack of sleep, he tries to push out the looming sadness in his heart as he walks into the school. The clock tells the blonde he only has a few minutes until lunch, and not wanting to sit through the end of AP Lang, he heads upstairs to the dining hall. 

Nick is already seated at their typical table, the back left of the dining hall had been theirs since sophomore year. The brunette seems surprised to see Clay there, yelling across the room, “I thought you were with the new kids.”

“Yeah I was, Q skipped so he’s helping me out with the dorm stuff,” Clay tells the boy, Nick nodding at the response.

Students start piling in a few minutes later, the blonde sat next to Sapnap, waiting for the rest of their group. Wilbur and Niki are the first to show, Minx following behind Niki. Clay knows Schlatt will soon follow, and he does, with someone Clay wishes he wasn’t. Techno and the New Yorker are laughing as they enter, the pink haired man looking across the hall and smiling to the rest of the group. He gives a look that is more or less a question, Clay nodding in confirmation. 

George and Karl are the last to enter, the two quickly making their way to the table. George takes his usual spot next to the blonde, giving Clay a small smile, more or less giving the man hope. 

“How was class?” Clay quietly asks the brunette, turning to look at his boyfriend.

“It was alright, I’m probably going to skip after lunch. You were right, I really need to sleep,” George mumbles, leaning over to rest his head on Clay’s shoulder.

The blonde scoots his chair closer to the boy so he’s more comfortable, not bothering to get up when they’re told to get food. Small snores start to emit from George’s mouth, the blonde chuckling to himself at his boyfriend’s exhaustion.

“Hey, let’s go,” he whispers to the boy, having to tap him a few times to wake him up.

“What?” the brunette mutters back, coming to his senses, “did I actually fall asleep during lunch?” he laughs softly, Clay just nodding.

“Yeah, let’s go, I’ll skip with you,” he offers, George shaking his head.

“No it’s fine, you should to class,” the brunette attempts to persuade.

“I don’t really care, I’d rather spend time with you,” he kisses the crown of George’s head, standing up and offering his hand.

“Oh, okay, sure,” the boy agrees, the two saying their goodbyes to the group, sneaking out of the building before any of the teachers see. They walk in silence down to their dorm, only saying anything once they're inside. 

“Do you want me to come with?” Clay starts to follow the boy upstairs, George turning and rejecting his offer.

“No it’s fine, I just want to sleep,” the brunette says, crushing Clay.

“Did I do something?” Clay starts to question, George turning angry fast.

“No, stop asking that, just, I just need to be alone,” the brunette’s voice cracking on the last word, Clay pulling him into a hug at the sound.

George doesn’t allow it, jerking back, “I just need to be alone,” he repeats, this time not trying to cover the shakiness in his words. Nothing else is said before the brunette nearly sprints up the stairs, Clay not moving until the slamming of a door breaks him from his state.

Tears come fast for the blonde, he can barely see through them as he unlocks his door, flopping onto his bed, nothing but sadness in his chest. All of the earlier anger and frustration is thrown out the window, Clay can only feel the sorrow building its way through his body. Tears don’t stop flowing for at least a half hour, the blonde replaying all of the things he’s said to the boy in the last few days, trying to pinpoint exactly when he fucked up. He keeps searching, coming to nothing but dead ends, the brunette’s feelings towards him seemed to have changed over night. 

He doesn’t realize how tired he is until he wakes up hours later, salty stained cheeks burning his skin as he makes his way to the bathroom. 

Karl walks into the dorm just as Clay is heading back to his room, a look of worry washing over the brunette’s face when he spots Clay’s puffy eyes.

“You okay?” he asks softly, Clay shaking his head as he feels the tears build back.

Karl silently follows the blonde into his room, the taller allowing it. He shuts the door behind him before asking Clay anymore questions.

“Did something happen in particular?” the boy asks, Clay nodding as the tears spill from his eyes.

“I don’t know what it was though, well I don’t know what I did,” he stumbles out, confusion painting Karl’s face.

“Can I ask you to elaborate, I’m just not sure I understand what you mean, I’m sorry,” the brunette says softly, obviously worried about the blonde splayed on his bed.

“George,” is all he can croak out before his silent cries turn back into heaves.

“Oh, oh no, okay,” Karl makes his way to Clay’s gaming chair, sitting down and looking at the blonde with a level of pity.

“He-he hates me,” Clay continues to try to talk between cries, the effort making him even sadder.

“Clay, I know I can’t convince you otherwise, but he doesn’t hate you. He would never hate you, he can’t, he loves you way too much,” Karl’s words ring in Clay’s ears, none of them ringing true. 

“You didn’t-,” Clay hiccups, “didn’t see what he did, he-” hiccuping again, “he wouldn’t even let me hug up,” the thought of the interaction making the boy cry even harder.

“Hey, hey, Clay, he literally slept on you earlier, he might have just been grumpy,” Karl tries to coax the boy out of his mind, reminding him of how peaceful George had looked earlier, how pretty he always is.

“I-I just need to cry,” he finally admits, the brunette nodding.

“I can stay, but I get it if you need space,” Karl’s voice full of pity, deepening the pit growing in Clay’s stomach.

“You can go, but if you see Nick- can, can you tell him to come to my window,” the blonde just wanting to see his best friend.

“Yeah of course, I can call him, if you want?” Karl suggests Clay nodding at the idea before burying his face into his pillow. “Okay, I’m really sorry Clay, we all love you, George loves you,” the brunette trails off.

Clay doesn’t bother looking up as he hears the boy leave, his tear stained pillow being the only thing he wants to see. Knocking at his window just minutes later breaks him from the bed.

‘That was fast’

Clay pulls the blinds up to meet a worried looking Nick, eyebrows furrowed and cheeks flushed. As soon as his friend sees him, the window is being lifted, Nick hoisting himself through it.

“We have a front door,” Clay croaks, voice raw and eyes puffy.

Nick doesn’t respond, instead wrapping his arms around the blonde, pulling him into a long hug. No words are exchanged for a few moments, Clay’s tears drying on the brunette’s hoodie. The two separate, awkwardly sitting on Clay’s bed, Nick finally speaks up.

“What’s going on bro? Karl said it was urgent,” the shorter admits, Clay’s face burning with embarrassment.

“It’s nothing, sorry,” Clay starts to argue, the brunette cutting him off.

“Shut up, what’s going on? Karl sounded worried, wouldn’t tell me anything though,” Nick rolls his eyes at the last part.

“It’s George, he’s just, he got mad at me this morning, and then when I tried to come up to his room he told me he wanted to be left alone. After, I tried to give him a hug and he literally pushed me away,” Clay refuses to let himself cry again, gritting his teeth as he explains. 

“Oh, wow, I’m sorry, that’s fucking rough,” Nick does his best to empathize, the two never being very good at comforting each other with words.

“It’s fine, it really is, I’ll talk to him at some point,” Clay mumbles.

“You should go try and talk to him, he probably just needed a nap or something,” Nick tries to encourage Clay, shaking his head at the idea.

“I don’t want him to get madder at me, it’s not worth it.”

“He’s worth it,” Nick mutters, just loud enough for the blonde to hear.

Clay knows his best friend is right, knows putting off talking to the boy won’t make anything easier, knows he should just grow a pair and talk to George. Memories of the first day they met fill his brain, the shy timid George having left long ago, replaced by something so much better. Tears don’t come this time, just a pang in his heart that won’t leave, a want, a need for the boy is all he can feel.

Without warning, Clay stands, a grin forms on his best friend’s face, giving an urgent nod to the blonde. Clay still doesn’t say anything as he leaves, hands clasped in the pocket of his hoodie.

The walk to George’s room feels longer than usual, a certain weight has been tied to Clay’s ankles. His brain is filled with fog until he reaches the wooden door that lies between him and his boyfriend. Knocking twice, a small voice comes from the other side, not the one he was hoping for.

“Come in,” it’s a girl’s voice, one that sounds awfully familiar. 

Niki is sat on George’s bed with the brunette, homework spread in between the two. George’s eyes meet Clay’s, the blonde doing the best to show that he’s sorry for whatever he needs to be sorry for. The brunette’s face softens and he turns to the pink haired girl next to him.

“Hey I forgot I told Clay I would talk to him,” a blatant lie spills from the brunette’s throat, Niki just nodding with a smile.

“Yeah of course, I can come back later or we can finish this stuff up tomorrow. I’ve been meaning to stop by Wilbur’s anyways, he’s supposed to help teach me guitar,” Niki’s soft voice helps calm Clay, the girl having a certain warm feeling to her. 

As she’s leaving, she turns to the blonde, asking him how football has been.

“Oh yeah it’s great, good to be back. You like the cheer team so far?” Clay returns the question, the girl is the newest flyer on the team, her abilities having taken the team by surprise.

“Love it, George is really good,” she turns back to the brunette who’s been watching the interaction.

“Not even,” George scoffs, Niki rolling her eyes.

“Oh shut it, Clay knows, you’re great,” she continues to compliment the boy, who just smiles.

“Yeah you are,” Clay knows there’s more meaning in the statement than the pink haired girl could ever imagine. 

“Well thank you,” George blushes, another small victory for the blonde.

“Sorry to keep you waiting Clay, I’ll see you guys at dinner?” she asks, earning a nod from both boys.

As she leaves, Clay and George’s eyes are locked on each other, the blonde not knowing if he should say something first. He decides to wait a moment, seeing if George will say anything. He doesn’t.

“Can we talk?” Clay began, George just nodding and gesturing to his chair.

Clay slowly walks over, sitting down. Elbows resting on his knees, leaning forward to the brunette, he watches George fiddle with his fingers, neither knowing what to say.

“Is there anything I can do? I just feel bad, I’m not sure what happened,” Clay starts, George burying his face in his hands. Clay feels the pain in his chest return, the boy he loves so much won’t even let him set on the same bed as him.

“My parents, I was talking to them today, and I mentioned Sapnap and Karl,” he begins, Clay not sure where this will go, “My dad, he got like offended, I guess, he was upset that I had gay friends. Wait til they find out about what their son is,” George attempts to joke. “It’s not even like it’s not obvious that I’m gay, like I’m on the cheer team for fucks sake,” he scoffs, sadness pooling in Clay’s body. 

The blonde isn’t sure what to say, that worry leaves as George continues.

“And like, I didn’t even think much of it when I said it too. I was just telling them about all my friends. They were being nosey so I just started listing names. When I mentioned Sapnap and Karl, I added how they were dating. I just said it to entertain my parent’s weird obsession with my life and my dad started being a dick,” he rambles, Clay’s heart hurting even more. 

George’s voice starts to break, “I just want my parents to love me as much as they do now, and I know they won’t if I’m honest with them. Like when I came to visit you guys I couldn’t tell them how excited I was to spend time with you.”

“Georgie,” Clay starts to put his hand out, retracting it after remembering this morning’s events. George reaches out, barely brushing the end of Clay’s fingertips, the taller meeting the brunette’s eyes. Clay immediately returns his hand, the awkward distance between the two being closed as George pulls at the boy’s arm, urging him to stand up. 

Clay does, George scotting over to make room for the blonde. Tears pool in both of their eyes, a level of realization hitting both of them.

“Can I hold you?” is all Clay gets out before the first tear drops, George nodding and curling up to the man. 

Clay’s arms wrap around the brunette, George’s leg swinging over the blonde’s hips. Long fingers run through the brunette’s hair, occasionally wiping a tear from the boy’s face. 

“I love you so much,” Clay mumbles into the crown of George’s head, “So fucking much Georgie.”

“I love you too,” Clay’s eyes shoot open at the three words, his hand cupping George’s face, raising his gaze to meet his own.

“You don’t need to, just because,” Clay starts rambling, worried he’d pushed the boy in a time of need.

“Clay, I love you so much,” George’s eyes sparkle, Clay bringing their lips to meet. The kiss is a mix of sadness and love, a bittersweet feeling swirls in Clay’s stomach. It lasts longer than either was intending, neither complaining. 

“Can we go for a walk?” George is the first one to say anything once they break awake, Clay agreeing immediately.

“Of course, yeah, do you want to explore the woods?” the blonde suggests.

“Yeah that sounds nice, can we smoke by chance?” George asks shyly, Clay just grinning at the man on top of him.

“Anything for you, lemme call Sap alright? Oh shit, Sapnap. He was here,” Clay recalls, a confused look painted on George’s face. Clay elaborates, “Karl saw me sad, I cried in front of him, he called Nick, Nick came over, convinced me to talk to you, and now here we are,” he rushes the explanation, George’s smile filled with love as he listens. 

“You cried in front of Karl?” is all he seems to take from the speech, Clay scoffing at the boy’s teasing.

“I’ve cried in front of three people today, one being Nick, I think Karl is the least of my worries,” he jokes, planting a kiss on the brunette’s cheek before fishing his phone from his pocket.

*Missed Calls 3: Nick*, it reads.

“Ah, fuck,” he hits the top one, it being from only minutes before.

He can hear Nick’s phone ring from downstairs, moments later it stops, the brunette’s voice replacing the noise. 

“Hey, you good? I didn’t know if I should leave, sorry for calling but I didn’t want to leave incase,” the boy trails off, not wanting to finish the statement.

“Yeah, we’re good, we’re good, we wanted to smoke though,” Clay explains, Nick catching on to the implication. 

“Oh yeah, I’ll go grab some of the weed I already have ground up, do you want my pipe?” Nick offers, Clay once again thankful for his best friend.

“Yeah that’d be great, thanks,” the blonde tries to sound as grateful for his friend as he feels. 

“Of course, I’ll be right back, meet me outside?” Nick requests.

“Bet,” the two hang up at the remark, Clay looking down at the boy still wrapped around him.

“I have to go meet Nick outside, get your shoes on, yeah?” the blonde suggests, George pulling away. Clay immediately misses the feeling of the man pressed against him. 

“Yeah, okay,” the two stand up at George’s confirmation, the brunette reaching for his sweatshirt on his chair.

“For like the millionth time, do you really think I’m letting you wear your own sweatshirt?” Clay hums, removing the black sweatshirt from his body, handing it to the man in front of him.

George takes it with a blush on his face, thanking the taller before kissing his cheek. This time it’s Clay’s face to turn a bright shade of red. Clay slips out of the room, quickly heading down the stairs and into his room. He throws on his shoes and a new sweatshirt. Hearing a knock at the door, he makes his way to the front, Nick standing there with a smile.

“Hey bro,” he greets the blonde as Clay opens the door.

“Hey,” he greets before adding, “Thanks by the way, you were right. It would’ve been stupid of me to wait,” Clay mumbles, Nick just shrugging at the thanks.

“It’s all good, that’s what I’m here for, to remind you that you’re fucking dumb,” both boys laughing at the comment as they hear footsteps come from the stairs.

“Hey Sapnap,” George gives the brunette a shy smile, Nick having a genuine look of happiness painted on his face. 

“Hey George, I believe this is for you,” he pulls a pipe and a small bag filled with a decent amount of weed from his pocket, making his way past Clay and handing them to the shorter.

“Thanks,” George grins, looking up at the shocked expression on Clay’s face. The two brunettes break out in laughter at the sight.

“What the actual fuck just happened?” Clay half jokes. 

“Look, you said George wanted to smoke,” his best friend turns back to the blonde. 

“Jesus Christ, okay leave,” Clay swoops his arm in the doorway, Nick wearing a cheeky grin as he leaves. 

Clay waits a few moments before turning back to George, doing his best to put on a face of fake annoyance.

“Let’s go,” Clay offers his hand to the brunette, George shoving the weed and pipe in his sweatshirt pocket. He grabs the outstretched hand, their fingers interlocking for the second time today, this time around it’s full of love.


	13. The Start

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summaries are stupid, have fun reading my loves <3
> 
> Also would like to make a side note// men can look at other men and the gaze can be purely platonic/jealous (just would like to say that before this chapter starts)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TechnoBuff is canon. Yes I wrote myself into the story. Yes I am CJ. Yes I don't care if that's cringy. Yes I also wrote my boarding school (the school this story is based off of) as the rival school.

*Tommyinnit is live*

A notification reads across Clay’s phone, a smile breaking across his face. The freshman had been streaming nearly everyday for the last months, Tubbo joining in as well. He had managed to average nearly thirty viewers a stream, a huge achievement for the boy. The seniors had promised to join in for a few streams later that week, the boys only appearing in the background when Tommy would stream their Minecraft world. 

George is sprawled across Clay’s bed, the blonde sat in his gaming chair admiring the boy. The brunette is scrolling through his phone when he mutters, “Tommy’s live.”

“I saw,” the blonde responds, pulling up Twitch on his computer, the blonde’s stream under his following list. There’s only a couple of viewers, Clay deciding to join, wanting to see what he’s up to.

The freshman’s face pops up on his screen, his Minecraft character running through their world. Clay types a hello in chat, Tommy’s face lighting up when he sees the senior’s comment.

“Dream! What’s up Big man?” Tommy grins before adding, “You should hop on, join me.”

Clay thinks it over for a moment before closing out of the stream and loading up Minecraft. He shoots a quick text to Tommy asking if he should join a discord call. George is watching the blonde, a confused look on his face.

-VC 2

The text from Tommy popping onto his screen, the blonde joining the call as his world loads open.

“Hello?” 

“Hey Dream!” Tommy’s voice runs through his headphones, Clay smiling on command.

“Hey Tommy, how’s it going? How’s the stream?” the blonde finally loads into their world, running to go and find Tommy.

“It’s alright, feeling pretty good. Chat how bout you? How are we boys?” Tommy asks enthusiastically, the boy having always been good at starting conversation, “Chat, you guys don’t know this, but Dream is probably the best Minecraft player I know,” the blonde chuckling at the compliment.

“Chat, he is a liar, I am not,” Clay refutes, Tommy laughing in protest. 

“You’re such a humble man, Dream. Chat, if I can ever convince this kid to actually upload something, he will be the biggest gamer in the world, I promise you that,” Clay looks down to his feet at Tommy’s consistent admiration, the blonde never having thought he was all that good.

“You know Tommy, maybe I’ll upload a video I did with Sapnap,” Dream teases, George’s attention being caught.

Tommy speaks first, “You’re what? You did a video with Sapnap?” the blonde sounds shocked.

“Yeah, yeah, we tried this idea I had. Called it, Minecraft Manhunt,” he laughs.

“Minecraft what now?” Tommy nearly yells.

“Minecraft Manhunt,” he repeats, “so I speedrun and Sapnap tries to kill me at the same time, he kills me once, he wins, I kill the Ender Dragon, I win.”

“There’s no way you could ever win that,” Tommy sounds flabbergasted. 

“Didn’t you just say I’m the best player you know?” the blonde smirks, the freshman laughing back.

“Touche, send me the footage, the chat seems interested in it as well. Someone said that that’s the best idea they’ve heard in months,” the freshman relays. George is still watching the blonde with a puzzled look on his face, this being the first time Clay had mentioned it to anyone. 

The two blondes play for a bit, Tommy’s stream slowly growing in viewership. He hits fifty concurrent, a new record for the boy, Clay congratulating him as he leaves. 

George had stayed silent for the whole time, scrolling through his phone or listening in on the boys’ conversation. The brunette doesn’t say much until Clay shuts his PC off, asking Clay if he had fun.

“Yeah Tommy is a funny kid,” Clay chuckles, looking down to his hands in his lap. 

“He is,” George smiles, “So about that video?”

“What video?” Clay had forgotten all about the conversation and sending the manhunt to the freshman. 

“The video that you and Nick made, the Minecraft one,” George reminds him, Clay nodding his head.

“Oh yeah, we wanted to try something out, it went well,” he shrugs, “I think I’m going to upload it.”

George smiles, agreeing with the blonde, “You should, could I watch it before you do?” 

Clay thinks for a moment, “Yeah, yeah you can.”

The two smile at each other for a moment, Clay getting up from his seat and plopping down on top of the brunette. George giggles, wrapping his arms around his neck.

“Hi,” Clay mumbles into the boy’s neck, planting a few kisses along his jaw.

“Hi,” George blushes, giggling back at his boyfriend.

Soft kisses and pink blushes cover both of their faces, the two basking in the warmth of their weekend. Football season was coming to a close, the team having the weekend off before the playoffs. Clay and Nick spent most of their time arguing over plays and who would sub in. Schlatt was the center of most of their arguments, the boys going back and forth about putting him in. The New Yorker had proven to also play well at cornerback, Clay having never let him play quarterback. 

They had decided to let him play in the first round of the playoffs, Clay only agreeing after Nick told him he would make sure the blonde would be scoring.

“Whatcha thinking about?” George runs his fingers through the blonde’s hair, his fingers raking through the long waves. 

“Playoffs, again,” he grumbles into his boyfriend’s chest. He feels George nod against the crown of his head, planting a kiss to his forehead. 

“You’re gonna be just fine, I can’t wait to cheer you on,” George coos, Clay can hear the smile in the brunette’s voice, causing the blonde to blush.

“Cheer me on?” he mumbles.

“Only you,” George continues to sooth the blonde, Clay melting into his boyfriend’s chest getting tired.

“I need to send that thing to Tommy,” he starts to lift himself from George’s bed, the brunette letting out a small whine of protest, “I’ll be back dummy,” Clay laughs, planting a kiss to his cheek.

The untouched file sits on Clay’s desktop, the fully edited video having not been opened since the blonde finished with it. His white cursor sits over the video, dragging it after a few moments of thinking, sending it to both his boyfriend and the freshman.

He shrugs looking at the brunette lying on his bed, “I sent it, if you want to watch.”

George smiles, “Yeah while you’re at practice I will.”

Practice. Clay’s eyes dart to the clock on his computer, George interrupting his train of thought, “You still have an hour, I’ve been keeping track.”

Clay’s heart swells, the small actions of the brunette mean more to him than George knows. 

“Yeah, okay, I need to get ready kinda soon,” Dream trails off, George nodding.

“Yeah of course, I was going to shower anyways. I’m still gross from cheer this morning,” George starts to get up, Clay doing the same. 

“I’m going to go to Nick’s, I’ll see you later?” Clay asks, George nodding and planting a kiss to the blonde’s cheek.

“Of course,” George whispers. Unsatisfied, Clay wraps his arms around the brunette, pulling him in for a much longer kiss, the boys standing in peace. 

Clay watches as George saunters out of his room, the blonde taking a few moments before throwing on a sweatshirt and his Nikes.

Nick is lying on his bed, Karl curled up on top of him as the blonde enters his dorm room.

“Hey, it was unlocked,” Clay gestures to the door, making sure to avert his gaze to the floor. Karl scrambles up from the brunette’s chest, face flushed.

“Oh hey bro, sorry, we were just about to get going,” Nick runs his fingers through his messy brown hair.

“It’s all good, I just wanted to run with you before practice,” Clay explains. By then Karl was standing up, throwing on Nick’s sweatshirt. The shortest boy leans down, kissing Nick’s cheek before grabbing his shoes.

“Hey Karl,” Clay gives the boy an awkward wave.

“Hey Clay, bye Clay,” Karl giggles as he slides past the blonde, leaving the two best friends in Nick’s room. 

“I’m gonna,” Clay cringes, turning around to wait in the dorm’s living room. It’s a few moments before Nick emerges, a tank top with the sides almost completely gone make the brunette look like a douchebag.

“Karl pick that out for you?” Clay jokes, he knows the brunette probably drolls at Nick’s exposed sides.

“Fuck off... yeah,” Nick hits the blonde’s abdomen, the new starting the trudge to the fields.

“You guys are ridiculous,” Clay rolls his eyes, breaking out into a light jog.

“Running up the hill? Seriously?” Nick groans but Clay can catch the brunette’s footsteps getting closer. The two take turns catching up to one another, the other breaking out in a sprint as soon as they meet. 

The fields are deserted, the boys being the first ones like always. Their gear is waiting for them in the locker rooms, the maroon and white cubbies don their number, the best friends being placed on the far wall. The numbers 7 and 12 stare back at them, Clay going to change into athletic clothing. 

“I’ll be stretching,” Nick throws his bag in the general direction of his area, Clay stripping off his shirt as the brunette leaves. 

It’s only a matter of minutes before the blonde is ready, jogging out to meet his best friend, Nick already doing crunches on the sidelines.

“Laps?” Clay mutters as he sits down next to the boy, mirroring his movements, he can feel his abs stretching out as he does. 

“Lemme finish,” Nick huffs out, Clay counting out twenty four before the brunette stands up, “You should probably stretch before we run,” Nick reminds, it being more a demand than a suggestion.

It’s another few minutes of toe touches and butterflies before the two are jogging around the field, Clay pacing several yards in front of the brunette the whole time. The blonde knows he could be out running his best friend by a mile if he really wanted to, choosing to tease the boy by speeding up every few minutes.

Nick catches onto his patterns, sprinting to catch up, “Hey asshole, not all of us can run for days at a time,” the brunette gets out between labored breaths. The boys had been running for at least twenty minutes, the first members of the team starting to cross the baseball fields on the way over. 

Clay spots Schlatt in the first group, a rare occurrence for the man to be there early.

The blonde nudges his friend, nodding in Schlatt’s direction. Nick immediately spots what he’s pointing to, looking at Clay with a surprised look, “That’s new.” 

“He just wants in for the playoffs,” Clay mutters, rolling his eyes.

“And he’s getting in, we already decided,” Nick reminds, only making Clay’s eyes roll back harder.

“Yeah, yeah, okay. Sprint?” Clay asks, the boys knowing they should wrap up and get dressed. He doesn’t wait for an answer, making the decision for them and breaking into a full sprint for their last lap. Nick is quick on the uptake; although the brunette couldn’t pace as well as Clay, he wasn’t slow by a long shot. No matter how hard Sapnap pushes, Clay finishes at least twenty yards in front of him, the blonde doubling over trying to catching his breath.

“Fuck dude, run track at this point,” Nick is red faced, heaving out labored breaths.

“Get faster,” Clay jokes, Nick pushing him over at the comment.

They walk laughing over to the locker room, the athletic building being stuffed with players. Attention in the room is drawn to the boys as they head in, the players don’t stop getting ready, just shutting up for the men.

“One more week boys,” Sapnap’s voice booms, anyone who hadn’t been looking at them already was now, “Anyone not playing their all, won’t play at all.” 

Clay nods, never having been one for speeches. 

Sap continues, “Anyways boys, party after the game on Friday is at my dorm, no underclassmen allowed,” he turns to a few of the boys in the room giving a sympathetic look, “Sorry, can’t get in too much trouble.”

“Yeah and then we’ll see Tommy and Tubbo there,” a voice mutters out, Clay laughing at the correct comment.

“Well you should’ve befriended Wilbur then,” Nick calls out to whoever said it, the tall senior gaining the room's attention. Although Wilbur was also a senior, he had no desire for a captain position and felt best just being the team’s kicker. 

“Don’t make this about me,” Wilbur lifts his hands, Techno grinning next to him. The defensive lineman was much broader than the man to his right, although not nearly as tall. His pink hair down to his shoulders at this point, he has it pulled back in a bun, his stubble growing slightly. Clay found himself in envy of the man’s look, he must’ve seemed at least five years older than the rest of the boys in the room. 

“Dream?” the pink haired man calls out, “You good?” He seems to have caught Clay’s gaze on him.

“Yeah, sorry, was just thinking about how we’re gonna beat the fuck out of Oliverian,” the blonde jokes, his mind ripped from the inkling of jealousy. The locker room erupts in cheers, Nick being the only one to take note of Clay’s tone.

The two captains make their way over their spots, Dream immediately throwing his padding on. Sapnap turns to say something to the boy several times, Clay only noticing after the third or forth.

“Yes?” the blonde finally says after the brunette does it a few more.

“It’s nothing, you just seemed, off, I don’t know,” Nick trails off, throwing his shoulder pads on over his head. 

“Oh I’m fine, what part did I seem off at?” Clay jokes, not knowing how his best friend can read him so well. 

“Techno,” Nick mumbles, not wanting another team member to catch anything they were saying.

“He just looks different,” the blonde scoffs, “looks like he wouldn’t get carded at a bar for fuck’s sake,” Clay laughs at his joke. 

“True. You’re not far behind though, I mean when was the last time you shaved,” Nick bends down to tie his cleats, the boy always having been one to get ready fast. 

“Hey, George likes it,” Clay runs his hand over the scruff along his jawline, the prickling hairs stinging his palm.

“Yeah, yeah, hurry up,” Nick is already standing, lifting his arm to grab the practice jersey hanging from his shelf.

The rest of the team files out within ten minutes, Clay having not done anything since Nick left. Wilbur’s the last man left, he calls to Techno that he’ll catch up as he approaches the blonde. 

“Hey what’s up?” Clay looks up to the giant towering over him.

“Just wanted to make sure you’re good, you’re never the last one out,” Wilbur chuckles, Clay following suit and shaking his head.

“Oh yeah I’m fine, I got distracted talking to Sap earlier,” only a small lie, “wanna head out together?” Clay offers, leaning down to tie his other cleat.

“Yeah, lemme grab my water,” Wilbur comments, heading back to his spot to grab the rest of his gear, the two walking out to the field together. Clay watches on as Nick is throwing passes to the other wide receiver, the brunette with the accuracy of a god. 

“Sappy,” Dream yells, his best friend’s head snapping in his direction, arm winding up with a throw. Brown leather flies through the air, the pass landing directly in Dream’s arms as he runs to the far side of the field. The two grin, Clay’s cheeks flushed, the blonde making his way over to the rest of the team. Coaches are arriving, their head coach greeting the two captains with a wave.

“Can y’all do warmups, I need to talk to a few players,” their coach calls out, the two captains nodding, “Schlatt, Techno, Evans, Stevenson, all of you over here.”

The four boys who had been called look at one another for a moment before jogging to their coach, Techno visibly nervous. 

Warmups were long done by the time they came back, everyone wearing a smile but the pink haired man. 

Clay watches as the man makes his way over to the team’s kicker, Wilbur giving him a confused look, Techno whispering something in his ear, the brunette’s face falling as well. 

The blonde decides to take matters into his own hands, jogging to the New Yorker with a smile on his face.

“Schlatt? What was that about?” Dream asks, doing his best to seem nice. 

“Oh Coach was just talking positions, he wanted to switch some things up,” Schlatt smirks, Clay immediately running to his coach.

“Hey Coach, Schlatt told me there were position changes?” Clay tries his best not to sound worried.

“Nothing big, just want to see Techno on safety and Schlatt on tight end,” his coach mentions nonchalantly. 

Clay realizes what this means for the team, he’ll have to work alongside Schlatt in games, Techno will have to do much more running. 

“What about Evans and Stevenson? You can’t move Evans, he’s literally the best running back this school has ever seen,” Dream manages to keep his cool although his insides are burning.

“Oh I’m not moving Evans, Stevenson is just playing backup for him instead of Millard,” Dream’s coach mentions their fullback with a smile. 

Clay hums with a nod, giving a small smile to his coach before returning to his team. He calls Sapnap over informing the other captains of the changes. Nick seems much less bothered by them than the blonde was, just giving him a nod and yelling to the rest of the team to start warmups. The group does a variety of exercises, the team ending with five laps around the field, Clay huffing for oxygen by the end of it.

Nick, Schlatt, and Techno are trailing the group, the three complaining to one another as they finish their last lap, Clay’s heart cringing at the sight of his best friend next to Schlatt. 

‘Bro he’s your best friend, chill.'

He argues with his thoughts for a few minutes, only being broken out by Nick calling for him to start drills. Their coaches watch on, only ever correcting something when one of them doesn’t catch it. Footballs fly through the air, boys trip on turf, mud dirtying their white gear. 

The team isn’t out of the locker rooms until far past sunset, the group of boys marching their way to the dining hall, stomachs loud and mouths louder.

Clay spots George sitting with Karl and Niki across the hall, Nick and Wilbur catching their gazes at the same time. All three wave to the person they’ve been waiting for, all six erupting in laughter as they realize what’s happened. 

“So Wilbur,” Nick elbows the tall man, the three making their way to the group, “what’s up with you and Niki, it’s been months, what’s up?”

“Bro if you fuckers don’t stop asking me about her, my best friend,” emphasizing the word friend, “I swear to God I’m just gonna lose it on you,” Wilbur’s comment shutting the two up. 

“Yeah, yeah, sorry, you guys just seem happy together,” Nick mutters, trailing off when he realizes his mistake.

“Yeah! No shit I’m happy with my friends,” the brunette gives them one last look before they arrive to the table, Karl and George jumping up to hug their respective boyfriends.

“How was practice?” Niki’s warm voice asks the group.

“Great, great,” the group turns as they hear a voice behind them. Techno is stood, hair pulled back in a low pony, a girl Clay recognizes standing next to him. 

“CJ, hey what’s up,” Clay ignores the boy, turning to the black haired girl next to him. The blonde doesn’t think he’s ever seen the girl nervous, let alone as nervous as she seems now.

“She’s eating with us,” Techno doesn’t wait for an answer, pulling a chair out for the girl. The entire friend group’s eyes go wide, everyone trying to stifle down a laugh. 

“It’s good, thanks for letting me eat with you,” CJ looks to the group who all smile at her, the girl seeming more anxious than ever. Her phone rings, the girl looking apologetically before answering it, “Hey Parker.” 

Clay does his best to ignore the conversation, turning his focus back to the brunette next to him.

“How was your afternoon?” the blonde looks at George.

“I watched the video,” George doesn’t bother to answer, instead pulling out his phone, “Tommy did too.”

A text chain between George and Tommy is shoved in his face, a series of “He needs to upload it,” and “Did he really never show you this?” are exchanged between the boys, Clay laughing as he reads the long conversations. 

“Clay we’re not kidding, you need to upload this, this is incredible,” George says, much more serious than the blonde was expecting.

“It’s literally nothing, we were just messing around. Tommy’s content is much better anyways, he actually puts effort into it,” Clay shrugs it off, not wanting to talk much more about the video.

“Upload it,” George repeats, taking his phone back from the blonde. Clay contemplates arguing with the brunette, deciding to enjoy his dinner instead. 

Students are called up to get food as the group continues to discuss this Friday’s plans, Nick and Techno arguing about what type of alcohol the pink haired boy’s sister will be dropping off. Wilbur chimes in with a simple “Smirnoff,” none of the group opposed to the water in alcohol form.

“Can we get an ounce?” Clay grumbles as the group is going to get their food, sloppy joe’s and corn plop onto their plates, no one complaining. 

“Yeah, where is Quackity?” Sapnap comments in the general direction of Karl who just shrugs.

“He said he’d be here,” and if on cue the black haired man stumbles into the dining hall, accompanied by Parker who immediately searches for CJ. Clay can see the girls meet eyes, CJ mouthing what looks like, “Get over here,” Clay choosing to ignore the interaction.

Quackity comes half stumbling up to the boys, handing reaching and grasping Wilbur’s shoulder, “Bro, Parker is, wow, Parker is, wow,” the group of boys all breaking out in wheezes at the black haired boy’s state.

“Jesus bro, what? You get laid for the first time my god,” Clay wheezes, Alex’s face turning a bright red, “Wait, I was kidding.”

The group erupts in howls and cheers, the dining hall’s attention turned to the boisterous men. Quackity does his best to shush them, the group only listening after Techno tells them to shut up. CJ and Parker are whispering to one another, the black haired girl still staying close to Techno. The man slings his arm around her shoulder, pulling her towards him as he gets food sloshed onto his plate, the girl following suit.

George and Clay give each other an identical look, their attention having been focused on Techno and CJ since the girl had arrived. 

Dinner passes with ease, the group discussing football, parties, and Minecraft, the three typical topics for seniors in high school. Clay spots Tommy, Tubbo, and Ranboo on their way out, the freshmen sitting with their younger friends. Wilbur beckons them over as they head out, the three follow the group like lost puppies. 

They all make their way down to the dorms, the group splitting off in their typical fashion. The freshmen follow Wilbur, Techno, Quackity, Niki, and the two new girls, CJ and Parker. The rest head to Clay’s dorm, Sapnap and Dream talk football as Karl and George discuss their Minecraft world. The group chooses George’s dorm for the night, the brunette’s LED lights illuminating their faces as they sit around the room. Karl and Nick sit on George’s beanbag, arms wrapped around each other. 

“Did you show him the video you and Clay did together?” George asks Nick as everyone gets comfortable, Karl immediately looking at his boyfriend.

“What video?”

“Just this Minecraft thing, Clay’s too much of a pussy to upload it though,” Sapnap gestures to the blonde, doing his best to shift the conversation. 

“Why didn’t you tell me you filmed a video?” Karl questions; Nick's attempt to change the focus failing.

“Clay wouldn’t even show me until he was done editing, now he’s refusing to do anything with it,” this time Nick’s comment seems to work, Karl turning to the blonde. 

“Can I see it?” Karl asks warmly, Clay nodding and pointing to George’s computer.

“We can watch it together I guess, I sent it to George earlier,” Clay shrugs, Karl seeming happy with the answer. 

“Can we?” the brunette turns to George who has sat himself on the bed.

“Yeah, as long as you promise to help me convince him to upload it,” George half jokes, obviously wanting Clay to just get it over with.

“Of course,” Karl nods, George getting up to unlock his computer. 

Clay watches the boys’ faces as the video starts. Karl seems shocked as it starts, George just smiling. The group stares intently to the screen, eyes locked as Dream and Sapnap’s Minecraft characters traverse the world, the blonde eventually victorious. Dream’s screaming emits from George’s speakers, even Clay is surprised at how loud he was being. 

The blonde stares at his hands for the most of it, not wanting to look at his friends. Embrasement rises to his cheeks as the video’s outro plays.

“Upload it, now,” Karl turns to the blonde as it finishes. 

“I don’t know, it’s nothing, it’s not gonna get anywhere,” Clay tries to trail off, not liking the focus.

“It’s new, it’s original, it’s everything Minecraft needs right now,” Karl continues, slowly persuading the blonde. 

“Yeah, I’ll think about it,” Clay ends the conversation, the boys sitting in silence for a bit before Nick and Karl excuse themselves back to Sapnap’s dorm.

George and Clay sit for a moment when they leave, the blonde joining George on his bed. 

“Do you really think I should upload it?” Clay looks up to the boy, his head resting on the brunette’s chest.

“I really do, it’s good, you’re good. I don’t think I’ve seen anyone so well versed at Minecraft in years,” George praises the blonde, Clay burying his head in the boy’s neck.

“Give me a week, I’ll upload it in a week,” Clay half promises, knowing he needs time to think. The two sit in silence, neither bringing up the video again. They lull off to sleep, Clay's smelly clothes and sweaty hair don't mind the brunette next to him, George having found a certain sense of comfort in the smell, no matter how gross it may be. 

The week passes faster than he was hoping. Their team is getting ready for their first playoff game when Nick approaches the blonde about it again.

“You told George it would be a week, it’s been a week, would you just upload it for fuck’s sake?” Nick pesters the boy. Clay’s friends had agreed not to bring it up again, the blonde dreading how they would act today.

The blonde has been tossing and turning over the decision.

‘The video won’t even do that well, it doesn’t need to be perfect.’

‘The video won’t do well.’

Thoughts somehow agree and contradict at the same time, Clay’s anxiety spiking as he thinks of it more. The brunette is talking, he can’t hear, and for the first time in his life, Clay walks out before a game. 

Running back to his dorm takes longer than he would hope, he knows the coaches will be livid when he gets back. His PC groans to life, Clay nearly yelling at it to hurry up. 

The file is sitting on his desktop, his Youtube channel open in thought. 

Uploading it, the file takes several minutes to download, the clock only ticking closer to his game. The red bar slowly fills up, percentages growing higher as he stares at the file in front of him.

‘It’s not even gonna do well, just upload it.’

The blonde’s computer is dinging from texts from Sap and his team, Nick seemingly the only one to have caught on to what he was doing. 

-Fucking upload it

The text reads, Clay smiling at his friend’s informalities. He knows Nick is right about this thing, he’s always right about these types of situations. His clock tells him he has at least ten minutes before he needs to be on the field, his screen telling him he’s nearly halfway done with the upload.

Texts from Wilbur, George, and a few of the other players follow Nick’s, the blonde not bothering to respond to anyone but his boyfriend.

-Are you okay? I saw you leave

-Uploading the video

It’s a few minutes before a response comes in.

-Don’t get too drunk tonight

Clay’s confused at the response, shrugging it off as he notices he’s almost ready to upload. Deciding last minute, he pulls up Tommy’s contact info and calls the blonde.

“Big D?” Tommy’s voice comes through the speakers after a few rings, Dream can hear the loud cheers of the crowd in the background.

“I’m uploading the video, I just needed to,” the blonde stops mid sentence.

‘Why did I call him?’

“I needed to make sure you thought it was a good idea,” Clay admits, hating that he cares about the freshman’s approval.

He can hear the smile in the blonde’s voice, “Dream, you’re going to be the biggest Minecraft player on the planet.”

The line disconnects before Clay can respond, a smile creeping to his face as he hits the upload button.


	14. Take Off

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y'all... it's time... here is 3k words of smut... 
> 
> To anyone that doesn't like this type of stuff, there is no plot in this chapter, you will be able to pick up the story entirely next chapter. You can skip it entirely if you don't enjoy reading smut.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i also just want to say, i have taken a lot of the recent conversations about dnf fetishization along with the comments on my previous chapter into consideration while writing this. i wanted to avoid the stereotypes of "big strong man" and "uwu boy" type shit, but i also feel the need to say that if any of my mlm readers feels uncomfortable about me writing this, i will probably delete it/edit out specific parts that make people especially uncomfortable. BUT i would hope there is nothing that i wrote that does that. 
> 
> on one final note (im sorry this is so long), i want to apologize for how long this took, i recently had some sad stuff happen in my family and have been dealing with that. this is the best writing i can do right now, im sure i will edit this book entirely at some point, so im sorry its not the best work ive had so far, but i am fairly proud that i was able to get this out.
> 
> okay thank yall that was longggggggg... happy reading :)

“Cortona has beaten Oliverian 35-21, thanks everyone for coming, students please file out last,” the speaker booms out to the cheering crowds, Clay scanning the cheer team until his eyes meet his boyfriend’s. George has a smile plastered on his face, bright eyes lighting up as they meet Clay’s. Sweat pools down Clay’s back, hair damp and sticking to his neck as he runs to the brunette.

“I’m so proud of you,” is the first thing George mutters into the blonde’s ear, Clay swinging the boy by his waist. 

“Ready for Nick’s?” Clay kisses his boyfriend’s cheek as he sets him down, he can spot Niki and Minx talking to Wilbur out of the corner of his eye. Turning to the three, he gives the tall man a look of congratulations, Niki and Minx both calling out to him in admiration.

Dream calls Wilbur over, the two heading to the locker rooms, the team celebrating with loud cheers and spilled gatorade. 

“Dream, Dream, Dream,” the blonde can hear Sapnap start to chant, the rest of the team joining in. Clay waves his hand, silencing the group and reversing the cheer.

“Sap, Sap, Sap,” the blonde calls out, his best friend breaking out in a shit eating grin. The two boys look to one another, both the happiest they’d been in a while. 

“You ready for tonight?” Dream asks as the two sit down, peeling off their sweaty jerseys and gear.

“You have no idea, Quackity has been setting everything up since halftime,” the mention of their black haired friend has Clay even more excited, he had been missing the man. 

“Great, great, I need to get going. I want to talk to George for a bit before we go,” the blonde explains, Nick nodding his head.

“Yeah, yeah, you’re good,” the brunette is removing his shoulder pads, chest still heaving from the game.

Clay rushes out of the locker room, saying a quick goodbye to his teammates. Techno and Wilbur congratulate him on scoring, the blonde complementing both of their playing. 

George is standing on the fields, hands clasped, staring aimlessly. The blonde rushes over to him, grabbing his waist and pulling him into a long kiss. 

“Let’s go,” Dream doesn’t wait for a response, instead grabbing the brunette’s hand and taking off into a run. No matter how sore his joints are, he’d go through double the pain just to be alone with the boy behind him. 

The blonde isn’t exactly sure where he’s going, he lands a few yards from his dorm room window. 

“Can’t we just go through the front door?” George starts to turn to go around the building.

“No,” Clay hoists the window up, popping out the screen, “it’s more fun this way.”

The blonde pulls himself up, his shoulders barely fitting through the window. He’d grown from the season, his entire body gaining muscle. George is looking on, a giggle escaping his lips as he watches his boyfriend struggle. As Clay fits himself through, he turns to extend a hand out to the brunette, hoping to pull him through. A red cheer bag is slung through the window followed by the boy. George is already bringing himself through the window, much more gracefully than the man before him. The brunette nearly flies through the window legs first, landing on top of the blonde man. The two stare at each other for a moment, grins filling their faces.

“Hi,” George giggles out, leaning down to kiss the blonde below him.

“Hey,” Clay breathes out, his gaze captivated by the man above him. 

“I brought something, you need to close your eyes though,” George whispers, grabbing the bag from Clay’s bed and removing himself off of the blonde.

Clay reluctantly turns towards the wall, the sound of zippers opening and closing, it’s a few minutes before Clay is told he can turn back around. George is stood at the edge of Clay’s bed, maroon cheer skirt and white thigh highs replace his typical cheer outfit, Clay’s away jersey is replacing his previous shirt. The blonde nearly crawls over to the boy, hands grabbing at the ends of the brunette’s skirt, pulling the boy close to him. The brunette sinks down onto Clay’s lap, hands running through blonde hair. 

“You look stunning,” Clay mumbles, pulling back to get a better look at the man on top of him. 

“Thank you,” George merely whispers, lips locking onto Clay’s, “I’m so proud of you.”

Clay laughs, it’s hard for him to imagine the angel on top of him could like him at all. The blonde doesn’t think before his hands are running up the sides of George’s thighs, hands hiking his skirt up. 

He can hear small breaths leave the brunette’s mouth, the taller snapping at the lace against George’s hip. 

“So pretty, you’re so beautiful,” Clay mutters into the brunette’s neck, hairs standing up on end. 

George mutters something incoherent as Dream attacks his neck, harsh purple marks covering the man. Breathy moans escape his mouth, hands grasping for Clay’s shirt. 

The sounds leaving the brunette’s lips become more jagged as Clay continues to tease the boy, his hand running up the pale skin between George’s socks and skirt. 

“You’re so needy, so needy for me,” Clay’s ego grows as the man on top of him starts to break, hands flying to grab George’s wrists.

He pins them to his sides for a few moments before letting go and grabbing George’s waist. Pulling the two fully onto the bed, he flips them so Clay can get a good look at the boy. 

“Please,” is all George gets out as Clay scans his body. Hair askew, skirt pulled up, jersey crumpled below him, Clay admires the sight. 

“Be patient, can you do that for me?” Clay teases the boy, pulling his chin up to meet the blonde’s gaze. 

George nods, swallowing hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing.

“Words Georgie,” Clay whispers into his ear, hands flying down to touch the boy’s pale thighs.

“Yes, please, Clay I’ll do anything,” George whimpers, the blonde’s ego soaring.

“Look how needy you are for me, I’ve barely touched you baby, you need me that bad?” Clay continues to egg the boy on, wanting to see how far he could get.

“Yes, yes, I need you so bad, please touch me Clay,” George’s weak pleads are music to the blonde’s ear.

Clay was never one to make the boy wait, the brunette’s pleads make him cave every time they’re in this situation. 

Clay’s pants get tighter and tighter as he runs calloused fingertips up and down the smaller man’s thighs, eventually settling on the bulge under George’s lace clad body. 

“Please Clay,” George barely whines out, the blonde folding immediately. 

It’s a few minutes of the blonde teasing George before the brunette is trying to reach under Dream’s waist band, the taller just laughing at the man’s neediness. 

“Want to touch me baby?” the blonde whispers in the brunette’s ear, small whines being the only response. “What did we say about using words George?”

“Yes, please let me touch you, please fuck me,” George manages to get out, Clay quickening his pace as he stutters. 

“You’re doing so good, such a good boy for me,” the blonde praises as he removes his hand, removing his sweatpants and boxers. 

George’s face turns a deeper shade of red, throwing his elbow to try to cover to crimson shade. 

“George,” Clay taunts, drawing the brunette’s name out.

Removing his arm slowly, the smaller props himself up slightly, getting a good look at the man in front of him.

“Come here,” the brunette nearly demands, Clay smiling and abiding immediately. Positioning his arms on either side of the boy’s head, the blonde peppers kisses down George’s neck, stopping occasionally to admire the dark purple mark.

The brunette’s whines could be the soundtrack to heaven, Dream never wants him to stop. Fingers start to drift lower as George’s moans become louder, the brunette clawing at any piece of the man he can get. 

“Hold on baby,” Dream reaches across the bed, hand fumbling for the drawer in his bedside table, “don’t wanna hurt you.”

“You can, you can do that,” George grabs the blonde’s face not wanting him to leave his position.

“Baby, I couldn’t do that to you,” the blonde turns back, kissing the man’s cheek before popping the cap of the clear bottle. 

“You know, if you wanted to, you could sometime,” George’s words take the blonde by surprise, sparks blaring in his chest.

“You mean?” he toys with the shorter, wanting George to say it himself.

“You know what I mean, like you can, you can be rough. You can hurt me” George’s face turns a bright red, the taller man didn't think the brunette’s blush could grow, and yet here he watches as George can’t hide his embarrassment. 

The blonde smirks, leaning down and chuckling into the man’s neck as he coats his fingers with the cold substance.

“Yeah?” the blonde can feel the pride in his chest swell, knowing he could break the brunette under him. His ego grows as he hears the brunette’s breath hitch, slipping in his pointer finger up to the first knuckle.

“Please don’t tease me Dream,” the nickname normally reserved for his friends slips from George’s mouth, the blonde stopping for a moment.

“What did you just call me?” Clay laughs slightly, it being his turn to turn red.

“Dream, Dreamie, Dream,” George grins, the smile wiping from his face as Clay plunges his entire finger inside the boy. 

“Wanna say that again?” the blonde continues to push the boy, his index finger sliding in and out of the boy.

George’s face twists, the brunette taking a deep breath, “Dream.”

“Say it again,” Dream pulls his finger out, inserting two into the boy this time. 

George arches his back, hand grabbing the blonde’s forearm. His fingernails dig into the man’s tanned skin, the blonde taking it as an encouragement.

“Say it again.”

“Dream, please, please give me more Dream,” George cries out, the blonde satisfied with the answer. 

“Good boy,” he continues to finger the boy, George’s small whines and whimpers continuing to egg him on. The blonde is painfully hard at this point, he can feel his cock drip precum on his stomach.

“Please just fuck me,” George manages to breath out, “I’m ready,” his grip tightening on Dream’s arm. 

“Yeah?” Dream’s in ecstasy, the boy’s small pleads only dragging him further. 

George can just nod, the taller grinning at the man below him, the neediness seeming to be mutual between the two. The brunette can feel himself getting stretched by Dream’s long fingers, his face getting flushed. The shorter is starting to get impatient, just wanting to the man to fuck him. Tapping the boy’s forearm a few times, George leans up and catches the blonde off guard with a harsh hickey on his neck. The taller’s fingers slip out at the sudden sensation, George tensing at the loss of pressure.

Taking him by surprise, the brunette pushes Dream on his back, straddling his lower thighs. 

“Oh, fuck,” Dream huffs out.

“Hi baby,” George teases the taller, his fingers grazing lazily over the blonde’s cock. 

The man’s breath is taken from him as George’s small hand wraps around his base, leaning down as a large amount of spit falls from his mouth. Dream thinks he may die at the sensation. 

George takes a few moments to tease the blonde’s tip, his tongue running up the prominent vein on the bottom of Dream’s cock.

“Please baby,” it’s the blonde’s turn to beg, George chuckling at how fast his boyfriend can break.

“Aw look who’s needing who now,” George runs his finger as lightly as he can over Dream’s slit. He grabs the clear bottle that had been placed back on the table, running the cool liquid on the blonde himself. 

The brunette grins, before removing his hand, positioning himself over the man. 

“Fuck Georgie you’re so pretty,” Dream praises, George’s face flushing at the compliment. He sinks down on the man slowly, wincing at the blonde’s size. The brunette watches as his boyfriend’s eyes roll to the back of his head, his hands going to grip George’s waist. 

Dream can barely think as the man above him sinks all the way down, waiting a few minutes before starting to rock his hips.

“Baby, you feel-you’re so-you’re such a good boy,” Dream stutters, George feels a certain sense of pride that he has the ability to make the blonde feel this way.

“Dream, you feel so good, so fucking good,” George responding, his voice falling off at the end, his head dropping down to the blonde’s neck, burying his face as he starts to raise his hips. 

The taller’s hands wrap around to his ass starting to lift George, guiding him as small moans leave both of their mouths. 

“So tight, feel so fucking good, you feel amazing,” compliments continue to spill from Dream’s mouth, George’s blush growing. 

The brunette matches Dream’s movements, the two starting to quicken their pace simultaneously. George lets out a high pitched squeal, Clay stopping his movements at the sound. The brunette whines at the loss of friction from the blonde. 

“Please no that felt so good, keep going please Dream,” George’s request is met rapidly, the blonde gripping the man’s waist, slamming his hips up into the brunette. Their lips brush against one another as George goes to look at the man below him, Clay removing one of his hands and grabbing the brunette’s face, crashing their lips together. 

“Dream,” George moans softly in between kisses, the brunette can barely think, their bodies intertwining with one another. Several minutes of breathless moans and tightened muscles pass before a familiar pool in George’s stomach forms. 

“Dream, Dream, I’m gonna, close,” the brunette barely makes out before the taller is nodding.

“Hold on Georgie, can you do that for me baby?” Dream slams into the man faster, abusing the brunette’s prostate as he chases his high. It comes just moments later, George is already an incoherent mess from the rough treatment, both loving everything second of it. 

Dream’s fingernails dig into the brunette’s hips, definitely being marked from it in the morning. His breath becomes ragged as his climax approaches, sitting up and lifting the boy slightly above him, slamming his hips as George whimpers, his throat dry and voice gone. 

“Baby, gonna-” the blonde barely makes out before he spills into the boy, George finishes just seconds after, spilling onto both of their chests. 

The two hold onto each other for a few moments before Clay flops onto his back, sweat running down his forehead. George slowly removes himself from the man, the blonde quickly getting up and searching for a towel on the ground. The sun had long gone, dusk settling gently on the two.

“Here baby,” Clay wipes his abdomen before crawling onto the bed and spreading the man’s legs. George’s face blushes hard, refusing to make eye contact with the man as he wipes off the boy’s stomach. 

The blonde grabs a sweatshirt from his chair, handing it to the man as he gets sweatpants from his dresser. Realization of their friend group’s earlier plans dawns on him, the boy letting out an annoyed groan.

“What’s wrong? Are you okay?” George quickly sits up, eyes full with concern.

“The party, Nick’s, we’re supposed to be there,” Dream leans down as he pulls his pants on, George’s eyes drop to the blonde’s abs, a laugh escaping Dream’s mouth.

“Sorry, uh,” George quickly meets the man’s eyes, “do you still want to go? I want to take a shower but then we could,” he suggests, Clay smiling at his boyfriend’s kindness.

“Yeah, I think I kinda have to, I would feel bad if I didn’t,” Clay’s words leave his mouth just as his phone rings. Nick’s profile picture shows up, the blonde smiling at his best friend’s timing. 

“Hey bro, we’re on the way now, sorry about that,” Clay lies, he knows it’ll be another thirty minutes before he and George make it, the shower sounding especially nice right now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> is Cortona's rival school the name of my old high school? Yeah maybe. Hope yall liked that.
> 
> AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY SAPNAPPPPPPPPPPP


	15. After Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hop out at the after party 
> 
> quick reminder: i have playlists for each chapter on my spotify :) it's racheljacobs627

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i want to note that the "freshmen" in this story get high this chapter. i never want to encourage underage drug use (even tho that's literally this entire story, but especially for under 18 members) so please keep in mind that this is entirely fiction :) these boys are supposed to be even younger than they are now, all around 15 in the story

Sapnap’s room stinks of BO and weed, a combination Dream finds a certain gross comfort in. Quackity is wobbling on a desk, Parker standing on the ground next to him looking rather nervous. Wilbur, Niki, and Schlatt are huddled in a corner, a bottle of vodka being tossed around the three. Minx is yelling incoherently with Techno, something about “better hair color.” CJ is standing next to the pink haired man, her laughs can be heard over the loud rap music.

Dream feels a smile break out on his face, his grip on George tightening as he leads them through the large crowd of people. For a dorm room, Sapnap has the ability to fit at least 20 people in it. 

Smoke fills Dream’s eyes as he makes his way towards his best friend, the brunette arguing loudly with a random sophomore.

“Nicky Poo!” the blonde yells out, his best friend snapping up in his direction.

“Holy fuck never thought you’d make it,” the man takes a break from the argument, going to dap up the boy in front of him.

“Shit’s packed,” Clay comments, eyeing around the room.

“Just the plan buddy,” his best friend grins back at him, the blonde doubling over in laughter.

“George, can I get you a drink or anything,” Dream hears his best friend ask.

“Would you happen to have a blunt?” the blonde hears George ask.

“Quack!” Sapnap yells, the black haired man taking his focus off of jeering up the crowd.

“What?!” the yell being louder than any voice at the party.

“Blunt!” the brunette responds. Quackity takes the hand of the patient girl by his side, making his way down from the desk and walking up to the group, not letting go of Parker.

“Sorry I didn’t hear you, did you ask for a,” the man raises his voice, nearly shouting in Sapnap’s face, “Did you ask for a blunt?” shouting the last word in his face.

The group of five laughs for a minute before the pair leaves without a word, the three seniors are left in a huddle. 

“Where’s Karl?” Dream inquires.

“Your 9,” the brunette shrugs in the direction of the shorter boy to Clay’s left, dancing aimlessly with a few of the junior girls. Karl spots the group looking in his direction, his hand shooting up into a wave. Sapnap gestures him over, the brunette turning to the group of girls and saying something before walking to the boys.

“George! Dream!” Karl’s eyes are red, his grin spreading as he sees the two.

“Hey Karl, how you feeling?” George asks, a small chuckle escaping his mouth as he sees the state of the man.

“Great, so so good,” Karl smiles, his eyes sparkling under the bright party lights. 

“Hey Karl, can we go to your dorm real quick, I forgot my pipe there earlier,” Sapnap leans closer to his boyfriend who just nods, he turns to his best friend, “We’ll be back in like five minutes, can you hold down the fort?” 

“Always,” Clay nods to his friend.

The couple watches as the other makes their way out of the dorm, George turning to look up at the blonde, “Where did Quackity go?” 

Clay is reminded of the blunt promised to the brunette earlier, using his height to scan the crowd, the short black haired man catching his eye with his signature beanie. The man is licking the tobacco wrap, the group of senior girls huddled close to him. Techno is standing talking to the boy, Clay raising his voice to get both of their attention.

“Quack, Blade,” the blonde has to nearly shout, a few nearby students looking at him annoyingly, “can you come here?”

“Second,” Quackity calls back as he grabs a lighter from his pocket, the blonde looking on as he dries out all of the spit. 

The large group weave through the crowd before landing in front of the boys, “I believe this is for you,” Quackity remarks as he hands the blunt to George. The brunette takes it thankfully, looking awkwardly around as he searches for a lighter.

“Oh here,” Techno reaches into his letterman, a chrome lighter being pulled from his pocket. He tosses it to the brunette who fumbles with it for a moment. Clay lets out a light laugh and earns an elbow into his stomach. 

“Shut up,” George mutters before lighting the blunt, the rest of the group laughing at the two. 

Clay watches as smoke leaves the brunette’s mouth, admiring his features. Techno and CJ are whispering to each other, the girl blushing every few seconds, Clay chuckling to himself about the pink-haired man’s change in demeanor. 

George takes a few hits before handing it to his boyfriend, Clay inhaling gently and blowing it directly into Quackity’s face.

“I fucking hate you,” the black haired man rolls his eyes.

“Who?” Clay sets Quackity up for failure. 

“Yo-” the man starts to respond.

“Asked.”

“Fuck you.” 

“Aw, here you go,” Clay laughs before handing the burning blunt to the boy, “no need to get pouty.” 

The blonde can already feel his body starting to get heavier, his feet growing into the ground. He looks at the few hickies on his boyfriend’s neck, a tad embarrassed to be around his friends with them on display. He’d much rather keep his and George’s intimacy behind closed doors. 

As the song changes, a familiar voice barges through the door, “I WANNA SEE SOME ASS.”

Sapnap comes, Karl in tow, phone in hand, and immediately spots his friends through the crowd. Jack Harlow blares through the speakers as Nick does a goofy dance over to them.

“God who let you aux?” Techno groans once the brunette is within earshot.

“Who invited you?” Sapnap retorts.

“You dumbass,” Techno’s comment granting a giggle from CJ. 

“Oh shut it CJ,” Nick rolls his eyes, Techno socking him in the arm.

“At least she’s hot,” Techno mutters, the group freezing at the comment. The pink haired man seems to have realized that he said it out loud, his eyes going wide and Adam’s apple bobbing. 

“Thanks cutie,” CJ responds, kissing the boy on the cheek. 

The group looks at one another before breaking out in whoops and hollers.

Techno seems to have gotten over his embarrassment; the emotion on his face is recognizable to Clay, it’s the same one he has on his face when he looks at George. The blonde just grins even harder when he realizes just how much his friend cares for the girl. 

They slowly start to disperse, Quackity and Parker leaving to go roll some more blunts for the group, Sapnap and Karl go searching for Wilbur. The incredibly tall man can be spotted anywhere in the room, his yellow beanie being a dead giveaway. 

“Ladies!” a voice booms through the room, Clay immediately rolling his eyes when he recognizes it. He doesn’t even need to turn around to know he’ll be met with a blonde freshman. 

Tommy, Tubbo, and Ranboo are standing in the doorway, the tallest of the three behind the shorter. The blonde has a grin plastered on his face, Tubbo carrying a bottle of Tito’s.

Wilbur is nearly bum rushing them, grabbing the bottle from the shortest of the boys.

Clay can hear him yell across the room, “Where the fuck did you get this?!”

Dream starts to make his way over at the argument, not wanting to miss a beat.

“Ranboo,” Tubbo answers with a smile.

“My sister, she stopped by earlier and I told her you guys were having a party, wanted to help me out. Sorry,” the man is staring at his feet. 

“Wilbur you’re not mad at them are you? I mean come on, the man brought a handle of vodka,” Clay pats the tall senior on the back, stealing the bottle and cracking it open. 

George is still in tow, Dream swears he can see the man’s eyes roll to the back of his head.

“Come in boys,” Clay nods them in, bringing the bottle up to his mouth and hovering it over his lips as he pours a hefty shot into his mouth.

“Seriously Dream?” Wilbur does his best to sound annoyed, failing when a grin appears on his face, “You weren’t gonna give me first swig? That’s fucked.” 

Dream laughs, the taste of vodka burning his throat, he wishes he had a chaser. The blonde hands the bottle to the taller man, Wilbur taking a much larger shot, swallowing it with ease.

“Mother of all good and holy,” Niki appears next to the man, snatching the bottle from his hand as he brings it from his lips.

“Sorry mom,” Clay jokes, Wilbur and George dying with laughter.

Niki brings the bottle to her lips, giving a daring look to the boys before taking what must be three times what Wilbur had drunk, the three looking at her with wide eyes as she downs it with ease. 

“Save some for me,” George jokes, declining the bottle as Niki offers it to him, “I’m just playing, never been a big vodka guy. I’ll stick with Quackity blunts. Speaking of...” George raises his voice, “Quackity!”

As if magic, a few moments later Quackity appears with the rest of their friends, and Schlatt. Minx and the New Yorker are yelling about something as they approach, the only words Clay can make out through the purpled haired girl’s thick accent sound like profanities. 

“Jesus Minx,” Wilbur mutters, the girl’s attention turning to yell at him. 

“Fuck you Wilbur,” Minx retorts, except her “fuck” sounds more like “fook,” causing the blonde to snicker. Clay prays she didn’t hear him, he doesn’t want to be the next target. Luckily, it seems like she didn’t take note. 

“Damn it’s all of us,” Dream looks around, the freshman boys have joined the group, Techno, Quackity, CJ, and Parker all have seemed to pile into their small corner of the room. Clay’s back is pressed against the wooden door, he can feel the sweat trickling down his neck, the outside air seems especially attractive in the smoke filled room.

“Not all of you,” Sapnap and Karl walk up to the huddled friends, Nick flipping Clay off at his forgetfulness.

“Oops,” Dream snickers, “Do you guys wanna like go for a walk? It’s hot as fuck in here.” 

“Yeah lemme go grab the blunts I was working on,” Quackity tells the group, “excuse me, me perdonas, pardon me,” he says to his friends as he pushes through the group. 

The black haired man returns just moments later, giving the group a nod to leave.

“Aye!” Nick’s voice booms, “Ethan you're in charge," the familiar senior nodding, "You break it you buy it.”

And with that the group is out the door. Dream leads the way, hand holding George’s. The freshmen boys catch up to the two.

“Hey Dream, is it cool if we smoke?” Tommy asks first.

“Why are you asking me?” the blonde gives him a confused look.

“Cause Wilbur said no,” Tubbo admits.

“Tubbo! What the fuck?” Tommy snaps his head in the brunette’s direction.

“Then no,” the blonde gives his decision.

“Wilbur’s not our dad,” Ranboo chirps in.

“No but you’re my responsibility,” Clay turns to the tallest.

“Says who?”

“Since you clung to me since day one,” Clay retorts.

“I hate you sometimes,” Ranboo rolls his eyes.

“Should’ve stuck to Sapnap, he would be having y’all do shrooms by now.”

“True!” he hears his best friend’s voice call from behind them, the rest of the group seems to have tuned into the conversation.

“Nick stop it,” Clay doesn’t bother to look back at his friend.

“Yeah, yeah, boys if you want to later just come ask me, it’s not a big deal,” Techno has jogged up to stand next to the freshman.

“Techno!” Wilbur’s voice appears.

“Wilbur!” Techno mocks him.

“George!” Clay’s boyfriend joins in, calling his own name. The group erupts in laughter, Dream having to take a second to compose himself. The tension that might have been there had been broken by the brunette, Clay once again grateful for him. 

Dream already knows his destination, he’s fairly certain the rest of the group could guess too. They get to the bridge a few minutes later, the darkness of the night only being matched with the lighters used to spark their blunts. 

George is swaying slightly next to Dream, the blonde putting an arm around him and leaning back against the cold bridge. He leans down to the brunette’s ear, he can see the goose flesh appear on his skin.

“Remember the first time we were here together,” Dream chuckles.

“Yeah,” George laughs slightly, turning his face to plant a kiss on the blonde’s cheek.

“Gross,” Schlatt mutters, quickly going wide eyed when he remembers the last time he had insulted their relationship, “I just mean like coupley stuff, not you guys, you guys are, uh,” he clears his throat, “you guys are cute.”

Clay stifles a laugh, “Thanks, big man,” the nickname Schlatt had originated for the blonde causes the man to break out in a smile. 

“Yeah, you want this?” Schlatt offers the blunt he had in his hand to George who takes it gladly.

“Thanks,” George smiles genuinely.

The ice that had long surrounded Schlatt and Dream seems to be melting faster and faster as the night continues to pass, the group taking turns to hotbox their wooden shed. 

“Please Wilbur! Can we literally just stand in the shed? You don’t even need to smoke anymore in it,” Tommy is pleading with the tall man after an hour or so, all of the freshmen still sober.

Sighing the tall man responds, “Thirty seconds and you’re out, go before I change my mind,” Wilbur rolls his eyes, Ranboo turning to Dream.

“What he said, but you can stay in for a minute,” Dream winks, causing Ranboo to laugh and the other two freshmen to yell in protest.

“Sucks boys, like I said, don’t get stuck with Mr. Tight Ass,” the blonde gestures in Wilbur’s direction.

“Tight ass? Okay bet, Dream, shotgunning contest, right now,” Wilbur challenges. 

“We literally don’t have beer,” Dream responds.

CJ and Parker exchange a look before CJ remarks, “We’ll be back.”

The two girls take off into a light jog down the path, turning and going into the woods.

“They’re going to get eaten by a bear or some shit,” Nick jokes, granting a punch in the arm from both Quackity and Techno. 

The girls are only gone for a moment before they return, a twelve pack of beer is slung over Parker’s shoulder. 

“Fucking hell,” Dream mutters under his breath, immediately regretting his decision.

“That’s my girl,” Quackity calls out, getting a chorus of “so whipped” and "simp" from his friends. Clay can tell Parker is blushing even from where he’s standing, her eyes dropping to the ground. She’s still smiling when they arrive back at the group, tossing two beers over to Wilbur, the taller man handing one to Dream.

“Count of 3,” Nick calls out, both boys punching holes in the bottom and getting ready to chug.

“1, 2, 3, Go!,” Minx takes charge, the boys caught off guard. Clay manages to start his moments before Wilbur, although the tall man beats him by a landslide. The only person the group knows could beat him is Sapnap, although none of them would be willing to admit it. The man’s ego is high enough already. 

“Call me a tight ass again, do it,” Wilbur eggs on the blonde, the group laughing at Dream’s loss. 

“Yeah, yeah. Oh shit, the boys,” Clay is reminded why the whole argument started and the whole group seems to follow suit, turning to look at the shed. It’s been at least five minutes, the freshmen boys nowhere to be seen.

“Hey!” Nick yells, “Out!” 

Tubbo is the first to open the door, smiling like an idiot.

“What did we do oh my fuck,” Wilbur mutters as the other two step out, Ranboo’s eyes already glossy.

“You guys are like twelve!” Minx yells.

“I’m 15!” Tubbo yells back. 

“Son of a bitch what did we do,” Dream repeats Wilbur’s earlier statement, the entire group regretting letting the boys get high. 

“I take no responsibility,” Schlatt mumbles, grabbing a beer from the pack next to them. 

“Sorry, we didn’t have a timer,” Tommy laughs, the hearty sound turning into a light giggle, seemingly unstoppable.

“Here we go,” Schlatt mutters to Niki who laughs loudly. 

“Hey, let them have fun, this is like the only time they’ll be smoking all year,” Niki reassures everyone, but her main focus seems to be on Clay and Wilbur, “They’re kids, I mean when did y’all start smoking? We can’t baby them forever.”

Clay nods, knowing the girl is right, for Pete's sake he smoked at 14 with Punz. 

“Yeah, Yeah!” Tommy cheers on, the pink haired girl already to regret her previous statement. 

“George, Clay, can you come here a second?” Karl calls out, he had separated from the group without the blonde noticing.

The two look at each other for a second before heading over to the man, who ushers them to get closer.

“Okay so remember how Valentine’s Day is next week?”

No, no Clay didn’t remember. In fact, the only thing he’d been focusing on was the night’s game, and had the holiday slip his mind entirely. 

“Well I want to do something for Nick, but I’m not sure if I should make a big deal out of it,” Karl mumbles, visibly nervous.

“He’ll never admit it but he loves grand gestures and cute things like that,” Clay tells the brunette who smiles.

“Okay cool, I got him a chain and matching ring, but I was nervous jewelry was too soon,” Karl admits.

Clay’s face flushes with embarrassment, he hadn’t thought that it was too soon to give George the necklace, all of a sudden hyper aware of the silver metal dangling from the brunette’s neck. 

“No, no he’d love that, and I’m sure he has something big planned, he’s always been a romantic,” Dream continues to spill. 

George smiles, looking up to his boyfriend, “Can we go out for dinner? Like for Valentine’s Day?” 

“Yeah, I’ll need to talk with the Dean, but I’m sure we could just Uber from here, they won’t care,” Clay half lies, he knows he’ll have to pull some strings for them to be allowed off campus alone. 

“Great,” George smiles, Dream can see Karl watching them out of the corner of his eye.

“We can head back, sorry I just wanted to see if you guys thought it was a good idea,” Karl smiles, the two broken out of their conversation.

“Yeah, yeah,” the three start walking back, Clay can tell Nick is confused from the look on his face. 

“What’s up?” Dream nods to the brunette.

“What was that about?” Nick questions.

“Nothing,” Clay hides his smile, the brunette giving him a strange look and seemingly moving on. 

The group is out much later than they should be, Sapnap only deciding for them to leave when he remembers where the rest of the school is.

“Ethan is probably black out by now, we should head back before they break my PC,” the man jokes.

On the way back to the dorms Dream is accompanied by a glassy eyed freshman.

“Hey Dream did you end up uploading that video?” the tall blonde asks, Clay’s high state had completely wiped him of the memory.

“Oh yeah, I did. It was nothing though, stupid if you ask me,” Dream shrugs it off, Tommy continuing to persist.

“You should check how it’s doing, I mean it’s been a few hours,” Tommy suggests.

“I’ll do it tomorrow,” Clay continues. George seems to have become interested, nudging the blonde’s sides.

“You should check babe,” the brunette adds.

In an attempt to get them off his back, the blonde takes his phone from his pocket, opening up his Youtube app. His jaw drops at his notification box, the "99+" shaking him to the core. Cautiously, he clicks on his profile, his video popping up. 

*26,000 views*

Clay is left speechless. In a matter of 6 hours, he had gone from 0 subscribers to nearly 500, his video getting several comments suggesting he continues with the idea.

“Clay?” George tries to get the man to answer. Euphoria and confusion along with his high take over the blonde. Words creep into his throat, none coming out.

Tommy is the first to grab the phone, shouting loudly, “Twenty six thousand?!”

The group’s attention is caught, Techno the first to speak up.

“Twenty six thousand what?” the pink haired man quips.

“Views, Clay’s video got twenty six thousand views in six hours,” George answers for the blonde, by then most of the group had stopped in their tracks.

“Bro what the fuck?” is all Sapnap gets out before the rest rush to look at the senior’s phone.

Nothing seems to resonate with the man, confusion is all he can feel. 

“I have to go,” Clay grabs the phone from whoever’s holding it, he’s not even sure who he grabbed it from, breaking into a half sprint, desperate to get to his computer.

“Clay!” is all he can make out, he knows it’s George or Nick, but he doesn’t care. He just needs to get to his safety net. 

Music is still blaring from Nick’s dorm as he gets to his, face flushed and lungs hot. He nearly punches his computer when it takes more than a few seconds to load up, the blonde impatient more now than ever.

The video had reached nearly 27,000 in the time it took for him to get back to his room.

The top comment reads, “this is lowkey fire as fuck, you should upload more.”

The blonde can’t think, can’t speak. Logic flushes to his brain, ‘it’s only a few thousand views, that’s nothing.” 

Thoughts flip back and forth, a combination of pride and disappointment filling his head. Knocks at his door are unheard as he stares into the bright screen, not even the footsteps of George and Nick break him from his thoughts. It’s only until George touches his shoulder does he realize he’s not alone.

“Fuck!” the blonde yells, the sudden touch scaring him shitless.

“Oh shit, I’m sorry Clay, I just wanted to check on you. Are you okay? You should be proud,” Nick attempts to reassure the man.

“It’s like nothing, it’s just a few views sorry. I just got freaked out, I wasn’t expecting this. And I’m fucking drunk,” although the last part is true, he knows it has nothing to do with his emotions, but he would rather use that as an excuse.

“Yeah, yeah, that makes sense,” George consoles his boyfriend, planting a light kiss to his cheek.

A knock rings through the room, Tommy and Tubbo’s face coming into view.

“Hey I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that,” the blonde looks to his feet, Dream just laughing at the boy.

“Oh shut up, I’m crossed, sorry for freaking you out,” the blonde shrugs it off.

A tall figure peeks out from the side of the door, Dream’s favorite freshman coming into view.

“Hey, I watched the video, it’s really good,” Ranboo smiles, Dream chuckling at his sincerity. 

“I’m glad you like it, maybe you can join one day,” the blonde chuckles.

“The rest of them went back to Sapnap’s, you trying to come with?” Tubbo asks, the casual nature of the boy relaxing the man.

“Yeah let’s go,” he assures the group, the six of them heading back to the dorm. Music fills his ears, alcohol burns his throat, smoke burning his lungs more. 

Clay wakes up with the worst hangover of his life, his friends pilled on top of one another in Nick’s dorm room. George and him are lying in Nick’s extra bed, the other couple in Sapnap's. The blonde notices Techno and CJ awake, the two lying on the ground next to one another, the pink haired man playing with the girl’s hair.

“Morning,” the man groans, Techno letting out a hearty laugh.

“Check Youtube bro,” the senior grins, Clay searching for his phone, unable to find it.

“Fuck where’s my phone?” Dream half says to himself, half saying it to the two others.

“Here,” CJ tosses her phone in the blonde’s direction, his video already pulled up. His voice calls from the phone, eyes glancing down to the statistics. 

*400,000 views*

“Good shit,” Techno grins, the blonde being thrown back into the previous night’s panic. 

As if George can sense it, the brunette turns to wrap his arms around Clay, the blonde exhaling when he feels the man around him. 

“Hey Georgie,” he whispers, “wanna see something?” He slightly nudges the man, hoping to wake him up as peacefully as possible. 

“Hmm?” is all that comes out of his mouth, Clay can see his eyes start to open. He shoves the phone into the man’s face, George’s eyes opening to normal, soon widening at the sight.

“What the fuck?” the brunette yells, the rest of the room waking up at the noise.


	16. Valentine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 5k words of tooth rotting fluff, goodnight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this might be my fav chapter i’ve ever written. when i came up with this character idea i literally jumped around my room for ten minutes. i think you’ll see what i mean. okay remember to get a good nights sleep :)

By the time the holiday rolled around the next week, Dream’s video had collected over three million views, the blonde receiving message after message from other Youtubers and managers looking to work with him. He had told his parents a few days prior, his entire family being confused at how it came to be. Clay and Nick had already attempted filming a second video, they had a few takes that could be used. Although Sapnap had tried to get the blonde to just pick one and start editing, Dream hadn’t found any of the takes to be perfect by his standards. 

“Clay, Clay,” the blonde’s boyfriend’s whispers break him from his train of thought, George leaving small kisses behind his ear. The two were curled up in his bed, the Florida sun peeking in through the window. 

“Happy Valentine’s Day Georgie,” a grin breaks out Clay’s face, turning to look at the boy in his arms. Dream had forced his friends to stay quiet about the video, Parker and CJ hadn’t even told their other friends about it. Tommy wasn’t allowed to bring Dream on stream for at least a little bit, the blonde wanting to wait before he makes any decisions. So far, no one from Cortona had approached him or Nick, it was a possibility no one had even seen it. Clay didn’t want to ask. 

George was the only person that hadn’t changed a single thing about the way he treated Clay. He hadn’t asked the blonde about the video since the morning after their party, instead he would be the one to stare down their friends when they ask Dream too much about his “career.” 

“So, where are you taking me tonight?” George giggles, Dream smiling as he thinks over the night’s plans. 

“It’s a secret, remember?” Clay teases, George had been asking the blonde what to wear to their dinner all week, Dream just shrugging it off. He had suggested a skirt, George slapping him in the arm and rolling his eyes at the idea. Clay didn’t mind though, he liked being the only one that gets to see George like that. 

The blonde had spent the last few days bargaining with Mr. Young, only convincing the man to let the couple go to dinner after promising to clean the kitchen with their cook the following three weekends, it was worth it. Clay had chosen a small Italian restaurant in the town neighboring their school, he had gone with his parents when they visited the previous year. 

“Will you just tell me if I need to look nice?” George nearly pleads.

“You know that blue sweater you have?” Clay reminisces on the first outfit he had seen the boy in.

“It’s like a light blue?” George clarifies, the blonde nodding, “Yeah, I can wear that.”

They take a few more minutes in silence, only really waking up when Clay’s phone rings, an incoming call from Techno coming through.

“What’s up?” the man clears his throat, waiting for a response from the other end.

“Can you check the photo I sent you?” Techno’s voice is thick with nerves.

“Yeah,” Clay pulls up a text from the pink haired man, a painting of a black cat comes into frame, “What’s this?”

“Well it’s supposed to be my gift for CJ, that’s her cat, I had Niki make it for me,” Techno chuckles softly, “Is it dumb?”

“Why do all my friends think I know shit about romance?” Clay laughs, reminding him of Karl’s worries last week, “But yes, that’s really sweet Techno, she’ll like it.”

“Uhm, okay, thanks. Sorry, I just don’t want it to seem to cringe,” the man on the other end admits.

“I’ll see you at breakfast?” Clay switches the topic.

“Yeah, yeah, I”ll see you then. Later,” the line disconnects, the blonde laughs softly to himself as he peels his body from the mattress, dragging George up with him.

A peck on the cheek later, the brunette is heading up to his room, leaving the blonde to get ready. He nearly sprints to Karl’s room, knocking rapidly until the door opens. A disheveled looking Sapnap answers, face red and forehead dripping with sweat. His shirt is half on, no pants in sight. His shirt is tucked into his boxers in some spots.

“Seriously?” Clay groans, his eyes dart to Karl lying on the bed, blanket covering his body, “It’s seven in the morning.”

“What the fuck do you need?” Nick is looking rather embarrassed, Karl hasn’t even looked at the blonde.

“My flowers, I gave them to Karl yesterday to hide from George while he slept in my room,” he informs his friend, Nick’s eyes darting around the room until he spots the vase of white and pink peonies. Clay had thought roses were a bit too cliche. As gently as he’s willing to be, Nick pulls them from their water, placing them back into their original plastic holder. 

“Here,” Nick hands them to the blonde, Clay fake vomiting as he closes the door, his best friend telling him to kindly, “Fuck off.”

Black sweatpants are flung off his body, rapidly throwing on a white button up and a nice pair of black jeans. He searches for a jacket, rolling his eyes as he throws on his lettermen. 

He knows George likes how he looks in it.

The walk up to George’s room is filled with nerves, a small knock with his free hand is met with the brunette’s voice on the other side.

“Clay?”

“Yeah, it’s me,” the blonde clears his throat, he feels like he’s in middle school. 

“I have a surprise,” George’s voice is nearly a whisper, “Gimme a second.”

The thumping in Dream’s chest grows, he rocks back and forth on his feet for a few more minutes before he’s told he can come in.

George is stood wearing the same blue sweater Clay had first ever seen him in, a white skirt as his bottoms. The blonde nearly drops the flowers, a grin breaking out on his face.

“Now don’t get your hopes up, I’m just wearing this until we go to school, but,” George turns to his computer, pulling up a playlist the blonde had never seen before.

*My Dream* 

The man feels his heart swell, a soft song starts playing in the background. Clay offers the flowers out to the brunette, the boy smiling and smelling them before placing them on his desk. Turning back to the taller, George offers his hand, Clay taking it with a smile.

The blonde twirls the shorter as he pulls him into his chest, George letting out a small laugh, the two rocking back and forth to the music. The soft ballad turns into a louder rock beat, the brunette pulling back and starting to dance more lively around his room. Clay lets out a chuckle, pulling the boy by his waist back into his arms, landing a few small kisses into the crown of George’s head.

“We have time Clay. What? You don’t wanna dance?” George teases, raising one of his eyebrows.

“Oh, you wanna see me dance?” A shit eating grin breaks out on the blonde’s face just as the song changes. Clay recognizes this one, Gimme Love by Joji plays through the brunette’s speakers.

Shaking his hips back and forth, Clay makes a complete fool out of himself, George doubling over in laughter. 

“God you’re the worst, I love you so much,” George breaths out quietly, the blonde knows the shorter didn’t mean for him to catch the last part.

“Yeah?” Clay teases, “You what now?” he dances even more ridiculously, starting to do the wave with his long arms.

“Oh gotcha, that’s what this is gonna turn into?” George rolls his eyes, reaching out and grabbing the blonde’s hands after a moment of struggle.

“Yeah, you want me to stop?” Clay breaks free, waving his arms even more, “Gotta say the magic words babe.”

“God I hate you,” George pulls the blonde back into him, “Happy Valentine’s Day Clay.”

“I’m pretty sure I was talking abo-” Dream starts, George silencing him.

“Clay! I love you, happy?” George does a horrible job of faking his anger, blushing when the taller leans down to his ear.

“Always when I’m with you,” he grins, “I love you too Georgie, now dance with me! This was your idea,” Clay runs to the brunette’s desk, turning on a song that makes the brunette chuckle.

Singing loudly, Clay turns back to his boyfriend, “I thought that I was dreaming, when you said you loved me,” he grins, reaching out for George who gladly accepts his open arms. The two slow dance awkwardly for a few minutes, Clay’s mind clouding full of the man in front of him. A door opening doesn’t even interrupt the two, only Karl’s soft “Aw,” break them from each other.

“Oh, sorry,” Clay’s face heats as he sees Nick and Karl in the doorway.

George presses his skirt down, shifting slightly behind the taller. 

“We’ll let you finish, we are just about to head out, everyone’s outside,” Sapnap informs the boys who nod, the other couple shutting the door behind them.

“I should change,” George mumbles, the blonde nodding, turning to face the door when a small laugh comes from behind him, “Go get your stuff, I can change alone you know?”

“I know that,” Clay turns back, “I just choose to ignore it.”

“Go,” George draws the word out, laughing as Dream pouts. Reluctantly, the blonde heads back to his room, grabbing his backpack, taking a few minutes to check his email. A few bigger gamers had started to reach out, a handful he had heard of. He closes out his email as he heads back to the common room. 

George is waiting for him when he gets back, smiling and gestures to the door. The rest of their friends are waiting, the girls being the only ones missing. 

Quackity and Techno are arguing over who gets the bridge that night, Techno winning.

School passes in a blur, Clay receiving several compliments of how “handsome” he looks. Niki and Minx are in matching pink outfits, apparently Minx had asked the pink haired girl to be her valentine. They were apparently going out that night with Wilbur and Schlatt, as friends; it was made abundantly clear by all four that it was a friend date. Parker and Quacktiy couldn’t take their eyes off of one another, the boy gushing to his friends about her the second she was out of ear shot. CJ wore an outfit that exactly matched the color of Techno’s hair, even down to the clips in her hair.

Love was definitely in the air. 

Lunch was spent with boys and girls gushing over one another; Minx, Niki, Schlatt, and Wilbur just rolled their eyes, the four planning out their night. Clay heard some mumbling about a bonfire, he and George may stop by, he commented to the group, the brunette in his lap just smiling at the idea.

That afternoon at practice, Sapnap and Dream are both desperate to get out and go shower. After some bargaining with his coach, Clay was allowed to leave early, Sapnap following close behind. 

“Be safe,” their coach calls out, the two captains nodding.

“Always are,” Clay lies, their coach just laughing.

“Yeah, yeah, now go, don’t want to keep them waiting,” he yells back, by then the two had nearly reached their locker room.

“You never did tell me what you got Karl,” Clay nudges his friend who grins, going to his gym bag, “Dude it’s gonna smell like shit if it was in there,” the blonde winces.

“No, no it’s not,” the brunette pulls out an envelope, handing it to the man, “This was supposed to be a surprise for you guys too, but I guess you can know now.”

Clay gives his friend a confused look before grabbing the envelope and pulling out its contents. Inside are two plane tickets, Dream reads the destination, Jamaica.

“You’re going to Jamaica?!” Clay nearly shouts.

“We’re going to Jamaica idiot. Luke and his girlfriend, oh yeah he’s got this girl, are going for spring break. Her family owns a timeshare down there and he told me to invite you and, I quote, ‘that brunette I found him snogging.’”

“And Karl? Did you finally tell him?” Clay gives him a small look of hope.

“No, but I asked him if we could fit one more, and he said as long as I’m okay sharing a bed,” Sapnap snickers, “So yeah, we’re going to Jamaica for spring break.”

“You’re the fucking best,” Clay pulls him into a hug, Nick laughing at his action.

“Fucking sap, now get ready, you have a dinner to attend,” his best friend wiggles his eyebrows, the two stripping off their gear.

Clay is running to his dorm when he spots Schlatt heading to the locker room. He calls the blonde over, yelling how “it’ll be quick.” 

“Hey do you guys do senior pranks here?”

“April Fool’s Day, we’ll have a meeting about it like mid March. Okay I have to go, I’m sorry,” Clay explains breathlessly, breaking into a sprint before the New Yorker can ask any more. 

George is standing in the common room when Clay comes bursting through the door. 

“I’m so sorry, I was trying to get out of practice, and then Nick, and we’re going to Jamaica, but don’t tell Karl, and then Schlatt, and I’m sweaty, and we have reservations in an hour,” Clay takes note of George’s outfit, his black jeans from this morning had been traded in for white dress pants, “you look great, I’m sweaty,” he repeats, George finally cutting him off with a kiss.

“Go, I’m always okay waiting for you,” the brunette whispers, Clay melting into his touch, all of his muscles turning to jelly at his boyfriend’s kindness. As the blonde turns to leave, George grabs his arm, pulling him back, “We’re going to Jamaica?”

Clay laughs, “Yeah, don’t tell Karl, it’s his Valentine’s Day gift, like the plane tickets and stuff. And don’t worry, I’ll cover yours.”

George shakes his head, “I’m not broke you know?”

“I know, that’s not what I meant. It’s just like Nick is getting Karl’s so I thought-” Clay starts to ramble, George cutting him off once again with a kiss.

“I can buy mine, plus that’s Karl’s gift, now go!” He pushes Clay towards his room, the blonde taking off again.

He throws on a grey dress shirt, the material fitting tight on his broad shoulders. His black dress pants barely fit over his ass, he giggles to himself quietly. George would make fun of him if he was there right now. His belt and suit jacket are thrown on quickly, his hair pushed back, the blonde waves grown out. He looks over to his dresser and spots a few of his rings.

One is a matching pair he has with Nick, the boys had gotten them the previous summer on vacation, his class ring, and one from his grandfather who had passed away when he was a kid, only now can it fit the blonde. All silver, at least they’ll match, the man thinks as he slides them on. He grabs his phone and wallet, looking around the room to see if he forgot anything. 

George’s present, duh.

He grabs the small bag hidden under his bed, running out the door to find his boyfriend waiting where he left him. 

“Let me order the car,” Clay pulls out his phone, ordering an Uber before looking up to George, who also has a small bag in his hand, “When did you get that?”

“While you were taking forever,” the man jokes, walking up to the blonde and kissing him, looking down to his phone to see where they were headed. The brunette didn’t recognize the address, and it was only a moment before Dream tucked his phone into his pocket.

“We’re getting dinner, okay? I promise you’ll like it, it’s my favorite around here,” he smiles into the kiss, George nodding.

The two stand in silence for a few minutes before a buzz comes from Clay’s pocket. Their car will be there in just a few minutes according to his app. Leading the way, the blonde opens the door, the warm Florida air consuming the two. The sun is just starting to set, Clay silently giving himself a pat on the back for choosing a good time for their reservations.

As the SUV pulls up, Clay steps in front of the brunette so he can open the door for him. It feels a bit dorky, but the smile on George’s face makes Clay glad he was being cheesy.

The drive into town is short, George spends most of it whispering what kind of food they’re going to get. He guesses Italian, but Clay continues to deny every guess he has. As they turn into the restaurant, George grins, Clay’s fairly certain he picked something good.

“It’s my favorite, I know you haven’t gotten a lot of chances to eat around here,” Clay explains as they exit the car, Clay tipping the driver, as he should. Leading the way into the restaurant, Clay is asked if he has a reservation, answering yes, “For George, at 6:00,” he smiles.

George holds back a small laugh, holding his boyfriend’s hand as they make their way to the back patio of the restaurant, a small secluded table next to a fire pit. Clay pulls a chair out for George, the brunette taking it gladly. The two sit for a moment, the server that had led them over tells them the specials, giving them both menus. 

They look over the menus for a few minutes, Clay deciding he wants the lasagna, maybe get a thing of bruschetta for them to split. George is still reading when the blonde sets his menu down.

“Hey so I brought my fake ID, if you want a bottle of wine, they won’t care if you have some, I just need to be the one to ask for it,” Clay suggests. 

“Yeah, don’t get too much, it’s expensive,” George mumbles, Clay shakes his head.

“I’ll just get a bottle, we can sneak the rest back to Wilbur, he’ll enjoy it,” the blonde chuckles. 

“Not your worst idea,” George smiles, setting down his menu, “I’m getting a margherita pizza.”

“Sounds good, do you like bruschetta?” Clay asks, the brunette nods, “Cool, I was going to get some.”

“Yeah I’d like that,” the two start talking about their friends and school before a waiter appears, Clay ordering for himself, along with the appetizer and a bottle of wine, pulling out his decent fake. Sapnap, Wilbur, and Clay had all ordered theirs together their junior year.

The waiter just smiles, nodding and bringing back two glasses and the bottle after George orders. The brunette looks surprised when the waiter doesn't ID him, Clay just winking. 

“Thanks Callahan,” Clay nods to the waiter, George gives him a confused look. When the man leaves George turns to his boyfriend.

“He never said his name,” George looks puzzled.

“I know,” Clay smiles cheekily, “old friend. He’s normally a cook, comes out to serve whenever I come by.” 

Red wine is poured into glasses, the boys sipping gently as they discuss the last months together. George’s laugh captivates the blonde, his words keeping him on a leash. Dream is just a wide eyed puppy, head over heels for the man in front of him, he feels like a kid. 

Callahan returns with the food and a small letter envelope, handing it to the blonde silently. Clay opens it as the man leaves, his eyes lighting up at the familiar handwriting.

Dream,

I was delighted when they told me you were coming in, I’ve missed you loads. I hope all is well, I’m going to cut to the chase, I saw a video with a familiar voice in it. Three and a half million views? Holy shit. Please keep me updated on your deserving success. I heard your reservation is on Valentine’s Day. You’ve always been such an amazing guest, and I know whoever you’ve chosen in your life will be just as amazing of a person. I just hope whoever you bring isn’t Sapnap. 

Much Love,

Callahan. 

P.S. He seems lovely 

The blonde nearly chokes up at the end, Callahan’s kind words shoot love into his heart. George starts to look concerned, reaching out for Clay’s hand, who lets him take it gladly. 

“I love you so much,” Clay looks up to his boyfriend who smiles. George just nods, standing up and moving his chair next to the blonde. 

“Don’t cry baby,” George kisses the man’s cheek, rubbing his thumb softly on his hand, “I love you too much for you to cry right now,” the brunette grins. 

Clay nearly sobs, nearly loses it in this restaurant, almost starts crying like a baby. But he doesn’t, instead he pulls out his phone. 

“Hey do you think I could step out for a moment? I need to call my parents, if that’s okay with you,” Clay asks, he can see the gears working in the brunette’s head. Realization seems to dawn on him, the man nodding and letting go of Clay’s hand. The taller stands up and walks to the front of the restaurant, typing in his mom’s number as he walks.

The phone rings a few times before Clay’s mom’s voice comes through.

“Clay? Are you okay?” her tone is laced with anxiety, she obviously wasn’t expecting to hear from her son.

“Yeah, actually things are really good. But I need to tell you something,” he feels the high run off, a pit of nerves in his stomach appearing, “Mom, I’m dating someone, well I’m dating a guy. I’m dating George,” he rushes, “I’m at dinner with him right now, at Starlight, you know? Callahan says hi by the way, well, you know what I mean.”

“Clay?” his mom’s voice is soft, it calms him immediately.

“Yeah?” He feels small. 

“I hope you’re happy, that’s all I want for you. All I’ve ever cared about,” the words soothe any nerve that was lingering. 

“Okay, yeah, I’m really happy. Only thing, he’s inside still eating, so I have to ge-”

“Clayton! Get back in there right now, oh my gosh, you could have waited!” his mom’s tone makes him freeze up, then laugh.

“Yeah, okay, bye mom,” he doesn’t wait for an answer, instead rushing back into the restaurant. George is sitting, hands in lap, tears rushing down his face.

“George? Babe, what happened?” Clay squats down next to him, grabbing the brunette’s hands and holding them in his own.

“I told them, I just wanted to get it over with, and it went exactly how I expected,” he chokes out, “I was so proud of you, I thought I could,” more tears spill from the man’s eyes. 

“Hey, hey,” Clay wipes them away.

“My dad wants me to go live with my aunt,” he continues, “doesn’t want me near you or him.” 

“You’re sure as hell not leaving me, I’ll pay your tuition myself I swear,” Clay squeezes his hand, “did you talk to your mom?”

“She texted me,” George turns his phone over, opening it and handing it over to the blonde.

“George, I love you, I’ll talk to him,” Clay reads aloud.

He hands the phone back to his boyfriend, “That’s something, yeah?”

George just shrugs, “Can we just finish eating? I don’t want to ruin our night.”

“You didn’t ruin anything, and of course,” Clay assures the boy, taking his seat next to the brunette and finishing the glass of wine in front of him in a swift gulp. George mirrors the action, the man going to pour both of them another.

“Your present,” George perks up, leaning down to grab the bag next to him. He sets it on the table, pushing it towards the blonde who’s also leaned down to grab his bag. They exchange a look before both reaching into them. George pulls out a small box, a silver key set inside. 

“Well it’s the first part of your gift, but the second is kinda a promise,” Clay explains, “I know that’s a little shitty, but let me explain. That’s” he points to the key George is now holding, “a key to my dorm. But the second part, is that when I sign a deal with a manager for Youtube, and start making money, and doing bigger things, it’s a key to whatever apartment I get. I want you to come live with me when we graduate,” the blonde finishes, by then George has a smile plastered on his face. His eyes are glowing in the sunset, freckles spot his cheeks. 

“Yes, yes, I would love that,” George is beaming, Clay’s heart swells with joy, “Okay now my present seems shitty.”

Clay laughs and shakes his head, “No way.”

He pulls out a small box and a stuffed animal from the bag. The stuffed animal is a creeper, Clay laughs at the sweet gesture. 

“I love it,” he grins.

“Open the box,” George rushes.

Clay opens the blue velvet box, a small ring sitting inside.

“I like how you look with rings on,” George smiles, a smirk appearing on the blonde’s face.

“Do you have one?” Clay asks, his eyes flickering up to the brunette who has lifted his hand, a matching silver ring sitting on his middle finger. He pulls it off and shows the inside to reveal a “C,” Clay smiles at the man in front of him. 

“I love it,” he fits it on his right ring finger. 

They finish their food, Clay calling the check over as George goes to the bathroom. The man ponders over what to say to his boyfriend, not wanting to bring it up again, also wanting to make sure he was okay. Although, he already knew he wasn’t. 

“Thanks again Callahan, it’s been great seeing you,” the blonde shakes the waiter’s hand. Grabbing his jacket, he heads to the front of the restaurant to wait for George. He orders the car as the brunette comes into sight, the two waiting in the humid air. Cortona is only fifteen minutes away so he lets his friends know they have a half full bottle of wine coming Wilbur’s way. He receives a text to meet them at the bridge, Techno has finally let everyone join. 

The ride is enjoyable, Clay chats with the driver about their school, apparently he had heard of it through a story in the paper about one of their football games. George listens on, staring out the window into the open fields. Night has long fallen, the Florida sky starting to light up with stars as they pull into the driveway.

“You can just let us out here,” Clay lets the man know, the two hoping out and making their way to their group of friends.

Schlatt is smoking a joint as the couple arrives, Niki and CJ are talking on the other side, the rest of their friends dispersed around. Nick and Karl had also made it, the freshmen boys were seemingly allowed as well. 

“Finally, we’ve been wanting to get this fire started for like an hour,” Schlatt groans, the rest of the group seems to feel the same, everyone turning and heading farther down the path.

“Nice to see you all too,” Clay snickers, “Where are we going?”

“Techno built a fire pit,” Tommy informs the two.

The two walk hand in hand alongside their friends, Techno and Wilbur split off to go collect firewood and kindling. The two take a bit to get back, the night only being challenged by phone flashlights. It’s another few minutes before the fire is started, the group cheering once the flame is sustained. 

Minx starts her cigarettes on the fire’s flames, the group all yelling at her to not burn her hair, the girl not once hurting herself. Tubbo and Ranboo spend most of the time DJing for the group, Nick complaining about the “lack of bangers.” 

As the night grows, Clay can tell George is getting tired, the blonde explaining to their friends that they should get going. Heading out, the taller offers his boyfriend a piggyback ride, the brunette taking it thankfully. George is snoring softly in Clay’s ear by the time he gets to the dorm, the man walking them both to his room. With a bit of maneuvering, he manages to open his dorm room, walking the two over to his bed and setting George down to the best of his abilities, luckily not hitting the brunette’s head on anything.

Clay shakes him slightly, “Hey, let's get you in comfy clothes,” he whispers, grabbing a shirt from his dresser. George groans, his hands fumbling with his pants, arms lifting his shirt over his head. The brunette is left in just boxers as a shirt is thrown on top of him, George quickly pulling it over his head. The smaller man sits up off the bed, pulling back the comforter and making room for the blonde who is wandering over to him in just sweatpants, his happy trail becoming the star of the show. Clay catches his boyfriend staring, thoughts of what he could be doing to him swirl in his head. 

“My eyes are up here,” Clay says lazily, George still standing next to the bed.

“I know,” George reaches his hands out to the blonde’s waist, eyes not leaving the man’s crotch. As Dream gets closer the brunette drops to his knees, Clay’s eyes rolling back on command.


	17. Personal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> George needs a moment
> 
> TW// death, loose mention of suicide (very loose) 
> 
> plz read the author note

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please read: this chapter is incredibly personal to me and depicts some really hard topics
> 
> I encourage you, no I beg of you, to listen to the song this story is based off of. It's called 4:30, it's by a band called The Cautious, it's the first song on all of my chapter playlists. The song playing in the background is meant to be this. 
> 
> I know this chapter is short, but I wanted to make this moment it's own point, as I believe it deserves it. 
> 
> ON A LIGHTER NOTE THANK YOU FOR TWENTY THOUSAND HITS WHAT THE FUCKKKKKKKKK

Red and white balloons fill Clay’s room, the blonde shushing his friends as they walk out with them in hand. Nick’s birthday is in less than thirty minutes, the boy occupied in Karl’s room just down the hall. Techno and George are helping out in the blonde’s room, WIlbur and Quackity taking care of decorating his best friend’s dorm. Karl told them he would take his boyfriend back to his room right before midnight, so Clay and their friends only had around fifteen minutes to finish setting up. 

They make a run for it across the front lawn, the balloons flying behind them. The front door is flung open by a red faced Quackity, he ushers them in, leading the group into Sapnap’s room. 

“Do you have everything?” Wilbur looks to the rest of their friends, getting a collective set of nods, “Great, Karl should be here in just a bit, does anyone know his computer password? For music.”

Clay walks to the brunette’s desk, thinking for a moment before making a few educated guesses.

KarlPandas7 

Pandas7Karl

PandasKarl7

His spotify is already up, the blonde queuing “Happy Birthday,” pausing it at the very beginning. Few words are exchanged before they hear the distant opening of a door, keys jingling, and Nick’s loud voice.

“Aw Karl don’t you wanna go outside?” the brunette’s voice comes closer, Clay grinning with anticipation. The door handle moves a moment before light pours in and Techno flicks on the party lights they had set up.

“Happy Birthday!” the group cheers, Nick momentarily freezing before he relaxes and smiles.

“Oh my- Karl! Did you know?” Sapnap turns to his boyfriend behind him who nods, “Guys!” he turns back to the rest of his friends.

“Happy Birthday Sapnap!” Wilbur cheers, the rest of the boys getting closer.

“Thank you guys, this is so nice,” the almost birthday boy looks around the room, admiring their decorations. He spots the cake sitting on one of his desks, smiling at the words.

“Happy Birthday Fuckface. Awe thanks, but Clay I think this was meant for you,” he grins, knowing the blonde must have bought it.

“You’re welcome, and happy birthday,” Dream moves closer to his friend, handing the small gift bag he had been holding. 

“What’s this? I told you not to get me anything,” Nick rolls his eyes, a smile slowly creeping onto his face.

“Yeah I know, I didn’t get you anything per se, well I did, just open it,” Clay rushes the boy, the brunette reaching in and pulling a small sheet of paper out.

“‘Hunter vs Speedrunner Rematch,’” the brunette reads, a Youtube thumbnail and title printed on the paper, “You’re uploading?!” 

“We’re uploading, check the bag again,” Clay urges, his best friend pulling out a second sheet of paper, a check.

“What’s this?” Sapnap looks at the number, eyes widening.

“It’s 50 percent, from the last vid, and you’ll be getting fifty of whatever-,” he points to the paper in his best friend’s hand, “whatever that brings in,” the blonde finishing explaining.

“Yo, thank you man, you know you don’t have to give me anything. I just like hanging out,” Nick starts to ramble, Dream cutting him off.

“No, trust me, you deserve it. I know it’s not much but happy birthday bro,” the man smiles, the two hugging for a moment.

As the group continues to hand small gifts to the brunette, George pulls Clay aside for a moment.

“You’re uploading?” the brunette looks at him with wide eyes.

Dream scratches the back of his neck, nervously looking around the room, “Yeah, I guess I thought it’s as good of a time as ever.”

“I’m proud of you, will you let me watch it before uploading? Pretty please,” George already knows the answer but tries anyways.

“I’m uploading right before we get on the plane next week,” Clay explains, not wanting to give his boyfriend a straight no, “I’d rather just not think about it until we get back to Cortona.”

“You’re not going to look at it all week? We’re in Jamaica for like five or six days babe, that’s a long time,” George’s face has concern painted all over it. 

“I know, but I want to spend it with you,” he reiterates, not wanting to continue with the subject.

“Why won’t you just show me? I promise I won’t say anything, in fact I’m the only one who hasn’t said anything,” the brunette’s tone becomes firmer, Clay doesn’t even look at him, the blonde just wants to enjoy his friend’s birthday.

“Can we talk about this later? It’s Nic-Sapnap’s birthday,” Dream grunts.

“I know his name,” George rolls his eyes, walking up to the taller’s best friend, handing him a small gift bag. The brunette doesn’t look back to his boyfriend as he leaves him standing alone.

Moving out of the way, George shifts closer to the door, heading to Karl subconsciously. The man is stood in one of Sapnap’s sweaters, aimlessly scanning the room.

“Hey Karl,” George does his best to throw on a fake smile, Karl giving a genuine one back.

“George! Thanks for helping set up, this means more to Sap than he’ll admit,” the brunette winks, looking lovingly in his boyfriend’s direction, “Tell Dream I say thanks too.”

George grits his teeth, his gaze dropping to the floor, “Yeah, will do.” 

“You good?” the taller man seems to catch the shift in energy.

“Oh, yeah, sorry. I was just thinking of what to do for Clay’s birthday, I mean it’ll be in the summer so I’m not sure if we’ll even see each other,” George does his best to lie, Karl seems to believe it.

“They-,” the brunette gestures to Clay and Nick standing together, “They normally meet up, so either way, it’ll be good.” 

George just nods, the words slipping through his mind, his focus mainly on the conversation he and Clay had earlier. 

Had Clay not finished the video at all? Was he lying to him? Did he not trust George to not tell anyone?

Karl’s voice drones out into background music, the shorter brunette’s eyes locking onto his boyfriend in the center of the room. He already knew that Dream wasn’t going to let him watch, why did he even bother? He just wants his boyfriend to trust him. He’s already lying to his parents about spring break, George had told his parents he was heading on a trip with Karl and Techno for Spanish class, telling them both how Dream was taking French and he wouldn’t be there.

The texts between him and his mom were few and far between, mainly composed of fake trip plans and checking on grades. He didn’t mind the lack of communication, it wasn’t unusual, he just didn’t enjoy it being on purpose. Thoughts continue to rummage through his mind, the brunette occasionally muttering back to a talkative Karl. 

“I need to step out for a second,” George fakes a phone call, the brunette rushing out of the sweaty dorm room, needing some fresh air.

No matter how hot Florida seems to get during the day, the cool nights seem to be consistent, George finding a sense of peace alone. He searches the sky for the big dipper, something he hasn’t done since he was a kid. An east breeze draws his eyes to the sky, the Atlantic winds coming in to meet his dry brown orbs. The simple seven stars find him easily as he looks for him, something about the constellation brings peace.

“Hey are you okay?” a familiar grumble of a voice appears, pink hair catching the corner of George’s eye.

“Yeah, sorry, just needed a minute. It’s hot,” George’s eyes fall to the ground, Techno’s simplicity aggravating a sense of anxiety.

“Hey George? I know you say that, but you’ve seemed,” Techno seems to falter for a minute, the loud rap music from the dorm draws them both away for a minute, “You’ve seemed different the last few weeks.

The last conversation the brunette had with his father comes to his mind, the condescending tone flooding his brain, George immediately wanting to cut it off.

“It’s really nothing,” the man makes a poor attempt to shove the repetitive thoughts out, Techno only making it harder.

“I know we don’t know each other that well, just want to make sure you’re okay,” the pink haired man reassures.

George doesn’t want to snap, doesn’t want to lose it on a man who’s doing nothing but being kind. So he doesn’t; instead, he offers a small smile.

“I don’t want to be rude, just need some time alone,” he sheepishly admits, the Blade immediately taking the hint.

“Of course, I get it. Don’t feel bad, you’re not being rude,” the taller assures him, giving a quick nod before heading inside. Footsteps trail behind the brunette, a breath only leaving his lungs once he hears the front door shut. 

Cool air surrounds him, the Floridian night had become a norm for the man, the British grey and cold clouds had long been forgotten. Boarding school had that effect on people, their home being replaced by a shitty mattress and friends as family. Tears prick at his eyes, his friend’s birthday being long forgotten.

Emotions spill as he stares up at the stars, the tears only becoming noticed once he hears the song in the background change, one of his favorite’s from Dream’s playlist plays, the distance between him and the speaker adding a muffled tone. He’s not sure how the song landed on Sapnap’s birthday songs, the mellow voice of his childhood friend rings through his ears.

George would never tell his boyfriend, never tell anyone about the girl who wrote the melody that plays out in the stark night. 

Her long gone voice playing through the wind, the sadness in her tone reminding him of what he couldn’t save. Salty water spills down his cheeks, his only focus being brought back to long days on the playground, when she would sing and he wouldn’t notice. 

Something about the girl always brought his emotions to ground level, her peacefulness being forgotten by nearly everyone it seems at this point. Memories of black hair and green eyes come into view, George being drawn in by the painful comfort. 

The girl always reminded him of what he had, never of what he was missing. Her long drawn out battle with herself was finally over, George's friend finally had peace, and for him that's all he cared about. But there were moments like this, where he wishes the contact in his phone still led to her, not whichever asshole got her number after. 

His tears don’t stop flowing, not when the blonde comes to check on him. Not when his boyfriend worriedly asks him what’s going on, just a voice floods his mind, nothing but the girl holding him. Her death had seemingly been lost in the sands of time, not even his parent’s bothered mentioning the girl the world had failed. Clay ushers him back to his dorm, the brunette shrugging him off in his doorway.

“Not mad at you, just need to be alone,” George’s words feel awfully familiar to Dream, the blonde reluctantly accepting his answer and leaving him. With the trip to Jamaica around the corner, neither of the boys could bother to fight. 

The night draws out longer than he's used to, the long text messages between his parents being read on repeat, the only comfort he can seem to find are in the pictures of the brunette as a child. Pictures of him at pumpkin patches and first days of school, his young smile only adding to the hurt in his heart. George can't seem to find why he's angry, can't seem to find logic in his frustration with his boyfriend, it just seems like the only option.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i would like to say that emotions don't always make sense, people aren't always logical when they're sad and angry. love y'all, love my commenters, love my readers, hope you all sleep well <3


End file.
